


Most Precious of Treasures

by Katniss239



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Durin Family, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Hurt, Protective Bilbo, Romance, Smut, lots and lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-01-05 01:11:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 31,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katniss239/pseuds/Katniss239
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Briar Baggins, daughter of Bilbo Baggins, has always lived a fairly simple life with her father. That all ends when thirteen dwarves come tromping in, and a certain young prince takes a liking to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of a child's laughter rang throughout the smial.

Briar's chocolate brown curls bounced and swayed as she skipped excitedly down the hallway.

Bilbo watched his daughter fondly.

As she pranced about, he suddenly called out. "Oh, be careful, love, or you'll-"

Briar yelped as she slipped and hit the floor with a loud thump. "Fall." Bilbo finished. With a sigh, Bilbo stood from the table and helped the little child to her feet. "Daddy, daddy, can I go out and play?" Briar squeaked excitedly. "Savanna, Kayla and I are gonna go look for elves in the woods!"

"I don't know..." Bilbo said.

" _PLEASE!_ " Briar pleaded, looking up at him with wide, shimmering gold eyes. Bilbo groaned.

He hated when she used the puppy stare on him.

As hard as he tried, he found he couldn't resist.

Finally he said. "Alright, but be back in time for supper."

Briar jumped up and down with an excited squeal and darted out of the smial with the speed of a jackrabbit. Briar giggled as she raced down the road, nimbly avoiding carts and cattle and farmers along the way. Sure enough, her two friends, Savanna Bilberry and Kayla Farfoot were waiting for her. The three girls giggled before they took off into the trees. When they were thoroughly into the trees, Briar stopped briefly to apreciate the moment.

She delighted in the feel of the cool grass tickling her feet.

Overhead, the wind whispered her secrets through the trees, and the leaves whispered together.

"Briar, come on!" She saw that Kayla and Savanna were already far ahead.

giggling, Briar raced after her friends.

 

 

"Briar!"

Bilbo's yell stopped the tiny hobbitess in her tracks.

Her skirts, vest and undershirt were smeared with mud. Her face was coated with dirt, and her hair was tangled with twigs. Bilbo stood in front of his daughter with a dissaproving frown on his face. "What?" Briar asked innocently.

"What do you mean _what? Look at you!_ " exclaimed Bilbo. Briar looked down at herself, as if she was just now noticing how filthy she was. She opened her mouth to say something, but Bilbo stopped her. "I don't want to know. In the bathtub with you."

"But daddy-"

"NOW."

Briar groaned dramatically and marched off down the hall to the bathroom.

Bilbo sighed. _What am I going to do with her?_ Bilbo looked over onto the mantlepiece, and picked up the framed picture. "I should have known this would come of marrying you, Jessica." He teased. Jessica Underhill had come in from West Farthing one day, and had met Bilbo at the marketplace. A few words, one courtship, and one wedding later, and there you have it, man and wife. Sadly, Jessica had died bringing her only child into this world. Briar was the mirror image of her mother. That was why Bilbo was so protective of his daughter.

He didn't want to loose her too.

 

 

***

 

 

The sun was like a golden jewel set into a clear ocean of blue that day.

It was one of those days were everything seemed perfect.

Briar smiled as she helped her father work in the gardens. She was still enjoying her twenty-second birthday-even though two days had already passed since then. She was busy picking carrots and putting them into the basket on her arm when a shadow fell across them both. They looked up to see what it was. It was one of the big people. He was dressed in gray robes, a silver scarf, and a pointed blue hat. He was gripping a tall wooden staff, and his thick gray beard came down to his waist. He was looking down at both of them as if he was expecting them to say something,

"Good morning." Bilbo said cheerfully, for indeed it was.

But the stranger look quizical.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not?" Bilbo and Briar exchanged confused looks as he continued. "Or perhaps you would say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"

 "All of them at once...I suppose." Bilbo said, confused.

The stranger gave a dissaproving sound when he said this, making Bilbo even more confused. Briar on the other hand was becoming more curious by the moment. "Can we help you?" Bilbo asked.

"That remains to be seen." The old man replied. "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure."

At the word 'adventure', Briar found her curiosity peaked.

"A-an adventure?" exclaimed Bilbo. "No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree, would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner." As he said this, he got up and retrieved the mail from his mailbox. He muttered under his breath as he looked through the stack of envelopes. When he saw the old man wasn't gone, he slapped the stack of envelopes together and gave a 'good morning,' that clearly said' this conversation is over'.

Bilbo took hold of Briar's arm and took her back up the steps with him.

"To think that I should have lived to be 'good morning-ed' by Belladonna Took's son, as if I was selling buttons at the door. Though it seems Belladonna's grandaughter is quite the resemblance." The stranger said, making Bilbo stop in his tracks. "I beg your pardon?"

"You've changed," the old man said dissaprovingly, "and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Bilbo exclaimed.

"Well, you know my name," said the stranger, "although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf! And Gandalf means....me!" Briar's eyes went as wide as saucers and a massive smile spread on her face. She had heard stories of Gandalf when she was small, but she had never seen him face to face before. And here he was, standing right in front of her, plain as day! Bilbo's eyes also went wide as he recognized the name. "Gandalf...not Gandalf, the wandering wizard, who made such _excellent_ fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve! I had no idea you were still in business."

"And where else should I be?" Gandalf inquired.

Bilbo grunted several times, pointing here and there, before finally falling silent.

Briar rolled her eyes.

Sometimes, she really wished her father had more of a backbone.

"Well i'm pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks." Gandalf said, sounding as if he had not gotten what he wanted, but instead settled for the next best thing. "Well, that's decided. It'll be very good for you, both of you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others."

"Inform the who-No! No, wait!" exclaimed Bilbo, gesturing with his hands to emphasize his words. " _We_ do  _not_ want _any_ adventures _here,_ thank you, not today, not- I suggest you try...over The Hill, or...across the water..." With a final 'good morning', Bilbo tugged Briar back inside with him and shut the door, locking it behind him. "What was all that?" Exclaimed Briar.

"I have not the slightest idea." Bilbo replied.

He stepped around to the window.

When he jumped back with a yelp, Briar looked at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"He was looking through the window!" exclaimed Bilbo.

Briar rushed around to the sitting room and looked out the window.

Gandalf was walking away down the road, humming a merry tune.

Briar raised an eyebrow.

Her curiosity was peaked for the rest of the day.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party guests arrive.

The smell of fried fish made Briar's mouth water.

She had just finished drying her hair after her bath.

Swiftly, she slipped back into her clothes and headed down the hallway to the dining room.

Sure enough, Bilbo had set out two plates for them, each one with a whole fried fish, and several pieces of fruit. Briar licked her lips in anticipation. "That looks great!" she told her father.

"Well, let's not just stand around and let it get cold." Bilbo replied. The two of them took their seats.

Just as they were about to start eating, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be this late at night?" Briar speculated.

"Not the slightest idea." Bilbo replied. As Briar stood to go answer the door, Bilbo added. "Oh, no. You start eating. I'll get it." Briar shrugged and sat back down. She smiled as she took a bite of the fish. She tasted a garlic and wine sauce. Her father always was an excellent cook. She was startled from her thoughts by loud, stomping footsteps, and a gruff voice saying. "He said there'd be food, and lots of it."

Briar looked up as the most massive dwarf she had ever seen entered the dining room. Okay, so she hadn't met that many dwarves before, but still, he was _huge!_ His bald head and forked beard made him a bit intimidating. As soon as he saw her, he stopped. He bowed low and said. "Dwalin, at your service."

"Um...Briar...Baggins...at yours." Briar replied uncertainly.

Dwalin strode forward and sat in the seat previously occupied by Bilbo. They both watched in disgust as Dwalin swiftly devoured Bilbo's and Briar's dinners. Not wishing to watch this display any longer, Briar walked out of the dining room.

No sooner had she done that then the doorbell rang again.

She was closest to the door, so she answered it this time.

Standing before her was an old dwarf with a forked white beard and dressed in scarlet robes. He gave a friendly smile, bowed, and said. "Balin, at your service, my lady." Unable to think of anything else to say, Briar murmured. "Good evening."

"Yes, yes it is." Balin replied, stepping inside. "Though I think it might rain later. Am I late?"

"Late for what, precisely?" Briar asked.

Balin looked to one side, and let out a great bellow of laughter as he saw Dwalin, drawing the attention of everyone in the hobbit hole. "Evening, brother." Balin greeted. The two of them were laughing as Balin stepped up to the larger dwarf. "Ho ho! By my beard, you're shorter and wider than last we met." Dwalin commented.

"Wider, not shorter." Balin countered. "Sharp enough for both of us."

The two of them laughed, and placed their hands on each other's shoulders in a display of affection. Briar thought it rather sweet, until they crashed their heads together with a resounding _klunk!_ The sound made Briar jump. The two dwarven brothers continued on to the pantry, with Bilbo trying in vain to get them to listen. "Th-the thing is, I-I don't know either of you, not in the slightest. I don't mean to be blunt, but I uh, but I have to speak my mind. I'm sorry."

The brothers stopped their chatter and looked at Bilbo. Bilbo cleared his throat to indicate he was waiting for a response.

"Apology accepted." Balin said.

Then the doorbell rang for a third time.

"Ah, I'll get that. Keep an eye on them would you?" without giving her a chance to respond, Bilbo marched away down the hall.

 _Right, like teeny, tiny, little me could do anything against them,_ Briar thought. When the two brothers left the pantry, Briar leaned against the wall with a huff. This was certainly the strangest night she'd ever had. She looked up as she heard Dwalin say. "Fili, Kili, come on, give us a hand." Dwalin came down the hall with a brunette dwarf under his arms, and a blond one following close behind.

"Laddies, allow me to introduce Mr. Baggins's daughter, Briar." Dwalin said.

The brunette slipped out from under his arm.

A dark stubble lined his jaw and upper lip, and his thick mane of chocolate hair was unbraided. His wide, chocolate eyes sparkled with mischief and mirth. He took her hand in his, kissed her knuckles and said with a flirtatious grin. "Kili, at your service." He moved away, and the blond stepped up to take his place. Unlike the brunette, Briar felt her face flush in such close proximity to the blond. His hair was done in a complex braiding style, and he even had braids in the mustache of his goatee. His blue eyes gleamed micheviously, and he grinned that same flirtatious smile as the brunette. He repeated the same motion as the brunette, and said against her skin. "Fili, at your service, fair lady." Briar opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out, and her face turned bright red.

Fili's grin only spread wider when he saw how flustered she was by him.

He released her hand and walked over to where the others were moving furniture.

"Let's shove this in the hallway, otherwise we'll never get everyone in." Balin said.

"Hey, everyone?" exclaimed Bilbo, who's arms were filled with Fili and Kili's things. "How many more are there?"

It was then that the doorbell rang a forth time.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Bilbo, dumping the dwarves' weapons unceremoniously on the floor. "No, no! There's nobody home! Go away, and bother somebody else! There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! I-if this is some clot-head's idea of a joke, I can only say, it is in _very_ poor taste!" He grabbed the door handle and thrust the door open. In fell nine more dwarves in a grumbling, squirming pile. Behind them stood a familiar gray-robed figure.

"Gandalf."

 

***

 

Briar tried her best to avoid the chaos the dwarves were causing.

But with twelve of them, that was easier said than done.

She was walking down the hallway, focused on the parchment in her hands, when she bumped into something solid and hard. She looked up to see it was Fili. "Oh, sorry." She said.

Fili chuckled and replied. "Nothing to be sorry for." There was a brief period of silence, before Fili asked. "What?"

"You...you're just...really..." Briar said, struggling to find the right word. "big." she finished lamely.

Fili crooked an eyebrow at her and grinned micheviously. She gave a rather undignified yelp when he suddenly gripped her waist and lifted her high in the air. She dropped the parchment in the process, gripping his shoulders for balance.

"No, you're just really small." Fili replied with a wink.

Heat rushed to Briar's face as Fili walked them both into the dining room, earning several hoots and whistles from the rest of the dwarves.  She just barely bit back a yelp when he lifted her shirt up and nipped at the soft skin of her belly, while the rest of the dwarves hooted and whistled all the louder. "AHEM." They both looked around to see Bilbo standing by the empty pantry, a look of pure venom on his face.

"Put me down, put me down." Briar whispered urgently.

Fili did as he was told.

Briar dashed down the hallway so no one would see how red her face was.

That and she didn't want to hear the scolding that Bilbo would give.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Briar gives Thorin a piece of her mind.

Briar drew a deep breath to steady her rapid heart.

She was usually so adept at handling herself around strangers.

So why was this dwarf making her so flustered?

She put a hand down to the soft curve of her belly, the same spot where Fili had nipped it. Briar swallowed, and listened in to Bilbo's scolding. She could make out fragments of the argument he and Fili were having.

"....do you think you are!?"

"...just a bit of fun!"

"....go after my child, too!?"

"Lighten up!"

Briar couldn't resist a small chuckle.

If there was one thing that Bilbo had a backbone for, it was protecting his daughter. Briar peered around the corner in time to see Fili march off and join the rest of the dwarves at the dinner table. Bilbo turned in the opposite direction, towards Briar. Briar turned around as her father walked up. "Hey," Bilbo said quietly. "you alright?" Briar nodded. "I'm fine."

"The nerve of that dwarf!" Bilbo growled, then saw her hand on her belly. "Did he hurt you?" he snarled.

"No." Briar replied. "I'm alright, pappa, really."

Bilbo stared at his daughter for a few moments before he sighed and nodded.

Briar followed him as he walked back into the kitchen.

She raised an eyebrow at the dwarves throwing food and plates and singing about "THAT'S WHAT BILBO BAGGINS HATES!"

She threw herself backwards in time to avoid a flying plate, and smacked against a broad chest. She tilted her head backwards as a muscle-corded arm wrapped around her. What a surprise; it was Fili. The blond dwarf grinned micheviously at her. He kept one arm wrapped around her while he used the other hand to throw plates and bowls. When the song was finished, Bilbo rushed into the dining room to find all his dishes cleaned and neatly stacked, not a single crack or chip, while the dwarves guffawed and howled at him. Briar couldn't help feeling a twinge of pity for him.

There were three loud knocks on the door, and all the laughter silenced immediately.

"He's here." said Gandalf.

Briar took this moment of distraction to slip out of Fili's grip.

She followed the others as they went to the front door. Gandalf was the closest to it, so he opened the door. Briar couldn't help but stare a few minutes at the dwarf standing on the other side. He had a thick mane of midnight black hair, a thick, neatly trimmed black beard, and he wore a fur trimmed, sky blue jacket over several layers of wool, leather and armor. "Gandalf." He said, in a deep, rich, baritone voice that was just shy of a growl. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't have found it at all, had it not been for that mark on the door." He strode inside like he had every right to be there.

"Mark?" exclaimed Bilbo. "There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark; I put it there myself." Gandalf replied. "Bilbo Baggins, Briar Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So, this is the hobbit." Said Thorin. He ignored Briar completely. While she was somewhat annoyed by that, she was glad she was pinned beneath his steely gaze. "Tell me, Master Baggins, axe or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you must know, but i fail to see...why that's relevant." Bilbo responded.

"Thought as much." Thorin growled. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

"And who are you to say what my father is or is not?" Briar piped up.

Thorin turned to look at her, towering over her petite form. "And who are you?" He asked.

"Briar Baggins, as Gandalf said." Briar told him.

"Did he?"

"Yes, yes he did." Briar growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh," Thorin replied, sounding very unimpressed. "I didn't hear."

Briar bristled. If it was possible, she could havve sworn steam was coming out of her ears right then. "Perhaps because you weren't paying attention!" she exclaimed. "Or are you too thick to process when you're being introduced to more than one hobbit?"

There were several gasps from the other dwarves.

"Briar Baggins, what gives you the right to speak to me in such a manner?" Thorin asked, eyeing her with an expression that would have made any other hobbit run and hide. But Briar wasn't any other hobbit. She stood on her tiptoes until she was almost nose to nose with him and stated. "Oh, I believe I have every right, you big hairy bear! This is our family home! You lot come in here unannounced, uninvited, and expect poor Bilbo to simply feed you until the pantry is empty? Without so much as word of thanks? We hobbits are very hospitible, we like visitors, _but we like to know who the bloody hell they are before they show up!_ And we expect politeness back, for we most certainly give it to you! And instead we get _this!"_ She gave a sweep of her arm to indicate the other dwarves. "Barbarity, disrespect, a few accounts of vulgarity, if my memory serves me correctly, ungraciousness, and-and simple.. _bad manners!_ "

Her voice was rising to a screech. "Now you come in here, _no_ manners, _no_ respect whatsoever, tease my father, and ignore me completely! No one messes with my family, you great brute! I don't know who you are or where you're from, but it's obvious you have a reputation to uphold here, and right now, you're not doing a very good job!" She paused for breath, and saw everyone staring at her with wide eyes. The silence was complete apart from her heavy breathing.

"Um, Briar, I think you should take that back-" Gandalf told her.

"I most certainly will not!" Briar shouted. "First _him_ -" she jabbed a finger at Fili, "and now _this?_ " She gestured to Thorin like he was obscene cow. "I don't think so! Not in my ancestral home, not in Bag-End, not anywhere in Hobbiton or the Shire! Not anywhere in Middle Earth!"

Thorin's jaw was clenched tight as she ranted at him, but at the mention of Fili, his jaw unclenched and his eyes narrowed. "He disrespected you?"

"Quite." Briar hissed. "In a most obscene display."

Thorin turned his iron gaze to the blond. "Fili! I will not have you disrespecting the line of Durin. Or-" He paused for a moment. "this lady."

Briar blinked at the same time that Fili and Kili exclaimed. "What?"

"She's right." Thorin said, turning back to the tiny hobbitess. He went to one knee in front of her, took her hand in his, and kissed it. "On behalf of my entire company, I apologize."

"Well." Briar replied, doing a very good job hiding her surprise. "Apology accepted."

Thorin nodded and turned to his nephew.

"You treat her with respect, do you understand?"

"Yes uncle." Thorin replied.

The rest of the dwarves followed Thorin into the dining room, leaving the two hobbits standing with the wizard.

"What just happened?" Bilbo exclaimed.

"I believe, Master Baggins," Gandalf murmured in surprise, "that you're daughter just put Thorin in his place." Briar couldn't help looking a little smug. Oh, yes. She was _very_ capable of handling herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Purple_fools_gold for Briar's rant


	4. Chapter 4

Briar waited a few moments after Bilbo and Gandalf went inside the dining room.

When she came into the dining room, she was just in time to hear Gandalf say. "-lies a single, solitary peak."

She peaked around Thorin's great, hulking frame to see a small, rectangular map set on the table. "The L-one-ly Mountain." Bilbo read slowly.

"Aye." Gloin declared. "Oin has read the portence, and the portence say it is time!"

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain," Oin added, "as it was foretold. 'When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.'" Briar mouthed  _beast?_ "Um, what beast?" Bilbo asked, giving voice to his daughter's thoughts.

"Oh, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible," Bofur replied, "chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborn firebreather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

"Yes, I know what a dragon is." Bilbo interrupted tersely.

"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it!" Ori declared, jumping to his feet. "I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!" Briar took a moment to commend Ori's willingness. He got cheers from most of the company, all except for Dori, who yanked him back down into his seat, growling. "Sit down!"

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us," Balin said, "but we number just thirteen, nor thirteen of the best, nor brightest." The dwarves argued back and forth at this, until Fili slapped the table and said. "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!"

"And you forget, we have a _wizard_ in our company!" Kili added. "Gandalf will have killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time!"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't say-" Gandalf protested.

"How many then?" Dori cut in. "How many dragons have you killed?" All eyes turned to Gandalf, waiting for his response. Briar couldn't help chuckling a little as Gandalf choked on the smoke of his pipe. "Well, go on! Give us a number!" Dori shouted. Briar jumped when all of the dwarves suddenly leaped to their feat and started arguing very loudly. It ended as quickly as it had started when Thorin leaped to his feet and roared. "ENOUGH!!!"

The noise was cut off abruptly, and the rest of the dwarves sat down in their chairs. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too?" Thorin proclaimed. "Rumors have begun to spread; the dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people lies unprotected. Do we sit back, while others claim what is rightfully ours, or do we seize this chance to TAKE BACK EREBOR!?" The dwarves cheered, while Thorin shouted something in a language the hobbits didn't understand. Briar couldn't help clapping a bit.

"You forget, the front gate is sealed!" Balin yelled, and the noise died down. "There is no way into the mountain." He said glumly.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf responded, and produced a large, ornate key from somewhere inside his robes. All eyes gazed curiously at the trinket, none more so than Thorin. "How came you by this?" He said in a hushed voice.

"It was given to me by your father," Gandalf responded, "by Thrain, for safe-keeping. It is your's now." Everyone watched as Gandalf haned Thorin the key. "If there is a key...there must be a door." Said Fili.

 _Really, I had_ no _idea,_ Briar thought, rolling her eyes.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf said, pointing to a particular spot on the map with the tip of his pipe.

"There's another way in." Kili murmured, looking very pleased with himself.

"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf proclaimed. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it, but there are others in middle earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage, but if we are careful, and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar!" Ori piped up.

"Hm, a good one too." Bilbo added. "An expert, i'd imagine."

"And are you?" Gloin asked. There was a moment's pause before Bilbo asked. "Am I what?" Oin, deaf as ever, pumped his fist in the air and exclaimed. "He said he's an expert! He he!"

"Me?" Exclaimed Bilbo. "No! No, no, no, no! I'm not a burglar! i've never stolen a thing in my life!"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Master Baggins." Balin stated. "He's hardly burglar material."

"Aye, the Wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight, nor fend for themselves." Dwalin added. That's what caused a whole new argument to sprout forth. This argument ended when Gandalf rose to his feet. The room suddenly went very dark, and Gandalf bellowed. "ENOUGH! IF I SAY BILBO BAGGINS IS A BURGLAR, THEN A burglar he is." The long shadows faded as Gandalf said. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose, and while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage."

He sat back down and looked Thorin in the eye. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company, and I have chosen Mister Baggins, and Miss Baggins will be your fifteenth member. There's alot more to them than appearences suggest, and they've got a great deal more to offer than any of you know...including themselves." Briar blinked, wondering what the wizard meant by that.

"You must trust me on this."

"Very well." Thorin said. "We'll do it your way." He turned to Balin and said. "Give them the contract."

Balin stood up and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. "It's just the usual; summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration...funeral arrangements, so forth." He told them.

"Funeral arrangements!?" Bilbo squeaked as Thorin thrust the contract at him.

Briar ducked beneath her father's arm to sneak a look at the contract. As Bilbo read the contract, Briar's sharp ears caught Thorin saying. "I cannot garuntee their safety."

"Understood." Gandalf replied.

"Nor will I be responsible for their fate." Thorin added. There was a brief pause before Gandalf said. "Agreed."

"'Terms, cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one-fifteenth of total profit, if any'. Seems...fair." Bilbo said, reading the contract aloud. "'Persent company shall not be liable for injuries sustained by as a consequence thereof, including but not limited to....lacerations...eviceration?... _incinceration?"_

"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur replied cheerfully.

Bilbo gave a deep breath as his face turned a sickly green. "Pappa?" Briar asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright, laddie?" Balin asked.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I feel..." Bilbo gasped, bracing his hands on his knees. "Feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace, with wings." Bofur said, standing up.

"Air, I-I need air." Bilbo said shakily.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then _poof!_ You're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bofur said happily. Everyone watched Bilbo for a moment to see how he would react. "Hmmm.....nope." As he father fell over, Briar hurredly caught him and gently lowered him to the ground. "Oh, very helpful Bofur." Gandalf growled.

 

 

***

 

 

Once Briar was sure Bilbo was okay, she walked away down the halls.

She wanted to speak to one person in particular before she went to bed.

As she turned a corner, she stepped out of the way as Balin walked by. "Miss Briar." He said, nodding in greeting. Briar returned the greeting and continued on down the hall.She stopped when Thorin nearly walked into her. "Miss Baggins." Thorin said politely.

"Thorin." Briar responded. "I want to apologize for what I said before..I didn't know you were a prince."

"You didn't know, Briar. It's alright." Thorin replied.

"Thorin." She said as he turned to go. "I was wondering; you didn't ask me any of the questions you had asked by father. You didn't asked me of my weapon of choice or if I had ever faced danger before. Why?"

Thorin looked thoughtful for a moment before he said. "Let's just say...I saw something different in you. Let's say....you impressed me."

Briar scoffed. " _I_ impressed _you?_ Teeny, tiny, little me impressed  _you?_ " The two of them chuckled together.

Thorin smiled and said. "My nephew seems to have taken a liking to you."

"Has he?" Briar asked, feinting curiosity.

"Indeed." Thorin said. "He's bold, and he can be reckless, but he's a good lad, once you get to know him." Briar's only response was a soft 'hm'. He motioned for her to lean in. She turned her ear to him, and he whispered. "My advice; use every opportunity you have to mess with him." Briar giggled.

Thorin smiled warmly and said. "You may want to get some sleep. We start at first light."

Briar nodded and said "Good night, Thorin." before she walked off down the hallway.

"Good night." He responded.

Briar locked her bedroom door when she got inside. She paused for a moment before she went to her bed, and pulled out the large, oak and cedar chest that was underneath. Unlocking it, she opened it up to reveal the shortsword, bow, arrows, and knives inside. Every chance she had gotten, she had taken lessons from the rangers that roamed the Shire.

She had a feeling she'd be needing these, and soon.    


	5. Chapter 5

It was the smell of bacon that woke Briar the next morning.

She gave an enormous yawn and stretched her arms and legs out as far as they would go.

Tossing the covers back, she swiftly changed her clothes, then grabbed a rucksack from one of her drawers and stuffed it full of clothes, and other things she thought she would need. Once that was done, she drew the chest out from under her bed again. She strapped on the knives, and as she walked down the hallway, she hanged the sword, bow, quiver, and rucksack on a few pegs, so they'd be out of the way until it was time to leave.

She found the dwarves milling about in the sitting room, eating breakfast and chatting merrily.

"Mornin', miss." Bofur said cheerfully, handing her a plate as he walked by.

Briar nodded her thanks and took her seat in an unoccupied chair. She gave a surprised hum when she took a bite of the eggs. "This is fantastic!" She exclaimed. She saw Bombur standing by the stove and asked. "You made this, Bombur?" The obsurdly rotund dwarf nodded, his own mouth too full of eggs to speak. Briar raised her fork to him, and continued to eat. Breakfast was finished in a rush, and the dishes were swiftly washed. "Let's move!" Thorin barked.

As the dwarves filed out of the smial, Briar rushed back and grabbed her things, slinging her rucksack, bow and quiver over her shoulders, and buckling her sword across her waist. When she had everything, she rushed back outside to find the dwarves waiting with sixteen ponies and one horse. "Sooo...which one's mine?" She asked.

"You'll have to double-ride with someone else." Thorin called from the front.

Briar looked around, but no one made an offer. "If you like, you could ride with me." Briar looked up to see Fili holding out his hand from his perch atop his pony, that same flirtatious grin from the night before on his face. Briar rolled her eyes, but smiled as she took his hand, and he swung her up into the saddle behind him. She held on tight as the group began to move.

They were keeping their pace slow, in case Bilbo showed up.

The company chattered merrily as they rode.

"Hey, Miss Briar." Kili said. "We're making bets as to wether or not Bilbo will show up. You want to join in?"

Briar grinned from ear to ear and said. "Okay. I bet he will show up. If he does...." Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment before she said. "If he does show up-" She reached around and pulled out one of Fili's many knives, who protested with an indignant 'Hey!' "-I get to keep Fili's knife." She finished.

"Alright." Kili said. "And if he doesn't show, you get to be our-"

"Wait! _Wait!"_ Briar almost laughed in relief when she heard her father's voice. The entire group stopped when they heard Bilbo coming. Sure enough, Bilbo came running down the road, waving the contract in the air. "I signed it!" He declared breathlessly, handing the contract to Balin.

"Everything appears to be in order." Balin said after a long moment. "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." Bilbo got scattered cheers for at least having the guts to show up. "Give him a pony." Thorin said, not looking impressed in the least.

"Oh, no, no, no, that won't be nessacary." Bilbo responded. "I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I-I've done my fair share of um, walking holidays, you know. Even got as far as Frogmorten once-GAH!" His speech was cut short when Fili and Kili rode up behind him, scooped him up, and planted him on the back of a small, tawny pony. Bilbo looked as if he expected the pony to bolt at any moment.

The pace quickened now that Bilbo had shown up.

Many of the company started tossing small coin pouches back and forth. "Come on Fili." Briar said, grinning from ear to ear. "A deal's a deal." Fili growled at the notion of having been defeated, but unbuckled the sheath and passed it to her. Briar chuckled as she buckled on the sheath and resheathed the knife. Just then, her father gave a fantastic sneeze. "Oh, horse hair." He complained. "Having a reaction." His eyes suddenly went wide and he yelled for everyone to stop.

"What on earth is the matter?" exclaimed Gandalf.

"I forgot my handkerchief." Bilbo responded.

Briar threw her head back and groaned dramatically, earning several chuckles from the dwarves.

"Here, use this." Bofur said, tearing off a strip of his shirt and tossing it to Bilbo. The dwarves laughed at Bilbo's reaction, and Thorin called out from the front. "Move on."

 

 

***

 

 

Fili couldn't help smiling as he gazed at Briar's tiny, sleeping form.

He had first watch with Bofur tonight.

Was he imagining things, or did she look even smaller when she was asleep? "You sure got quite the tongue-lashing from Mister Bilbo." Bofur commented.

Fili chuckled. "Yeah, but did you see the look on her face? It was worth it."

"So, you're really going to go ahead with this?" The hatted dwarf asked.

"Absolutely." Fili replied.

 

 

***

 

 

   


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait ladies and gents. Here ya go.  
> Being sick has given me lots of free time.

Briar sighed and smiled in her sleep.

She snuggled further into the warmth she was wrapped in.

It was a soft, inviting warmth. It reminded her of home. She gave a contented hum, before a deep chuckle startled her thoughts. She opened her eyes, and froze as a voice murmured in her ear. "I knew you'd warm up to me eventually." Briar kicked back to find Fili laying on his stomach, grinning wolfishly at her. The dwarves all chuckled at this display. Briar frowned, then turned and asked. "Bombur, may I borrow that pan for a moment?"

The large dwarf nodded and handed her the pan.

"Thank you." She told him. She then lept on top of Fili and started whacking him in the head with the pan, the pan making a loud _clunk_ with every strike. The dwarves guffawed loudly at Fili pretending to cower beneath the tiny hobbitess. Even Bilbo and Thorin couldn't resist chuckling.

It ended when Dwalin came over, hooked his arms beneath hers and lifted her off the blond prince.

"Alright, lassie, off you get." He told her, setting her down among the other dwarves.

Briar grinned evilly when Fili looked up, pretending to look hurt.

She couldn't help looking a little smug as she settled among the rest of the company to have breakfast. She recieved several pats on the back and several 'atta girl's and 'way to go's, and other praises.

 

 

 

After the incident that morning, Bofur offered to let Briar ride with him, and Briar graceiously accepted. The hatted dwarf's silly style never ceased to make her laugh. Bilbo also rode beside them, making sure the blond prince didn't decide to try anything. The whole day passed by quickly, filled with jokes and laughter and singing. That night, they made camp on a massive rocky outcrop that overlooked a valley.

It was as everyone as settling down to sleep that Fili approached Briar again.

"Briar." He greeted her. He went to one knee so the two were at eye-level. "Listen...i'm sorry for the way i've been acting. We got off on the wrong foot. Do you think we could maybe...start again?" Briar looked him up and down. There was no cheezy smile this time, no mechevious glint in his eyes, only an honest want for forgiveness. Briar smiled warmly and replied. "Alright. We could do that."

Fili smiled as well and asked. "I was wondering.....could I braid your hair?"

"Okay." Briar replied. She turned around so he would have better access to her hair. He ran his fingers through her hair, careful not to tug too hard, working her sable curls into braids. When he finished, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Would you like to see?" Briar nodded, and Fili pulled out a large piece of reflective glass from his pack and handed it to her. She held it up so she could see herself in the light of the fire.

Fili opened his mouth to say something, before a piercing screech cut through the night, making them both look up. "What was that?" Exclaimed Bilbo.

"Orcs." Kili murmured ominously.

"Orcs?" exclaimed a now frightened Bilbo, coming over to stand beside the two dwarrows and his daughter.

"Throat-cutters." Said Fili, as if it was no big deal. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The Lone-Lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep." Kili added. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood." Bilbo, with eyes as wide as saucers, cast terrified looks around the camp, as if he expected orcs to jump out and attack right then and there. Fili and Kili chuckled at their successful teasing. "Don't tease him!" Briar scolded, giving Fili a firm swat.

"You think that's funny?" The two dwarves and two hobbits looked up to see Thorin was awake. "You think a night raid by orcs is a joke?" He growled. Fili and Kili looked downcast at their uncle's words. "We didn't mean anything by it." Kili murmured, looking very much like a sad puppy.

"No you didn't." Thorin growled, stalking out to the edge of the cliff. "You know nothing of the world."

"Don't mind him, laddies." Balin said as he walked up. "Thorin has more cause then most to hate orcs." Briar listened with great curiosity as Balin told the story of the battle of Azanualbizar, of the Pale Orc, and the murder of Thorin's grandfather. "And I thought to myself then; 'There is one who I could follow. There is one I could call king.'" As Balin finished his story, Thorin turned around and was a little surprised to find the entire company was awake. He kept a straight face as he walked back over to where he had been sleeping. "And the Pale Orc?" Bilbo asked. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin replied. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

 

 

***

 

 

The next day, the load of rain the gray skies had been threatening them with was dumped on them.

It didn't take long before everyone was soaking wet and miserable.

Even Fili and Kili weren't their normal, cheery selves in this weather.

Briar was sitting in front of Fili in the saddle now, and was shaking like a leaf. "You alright?" Fili asked, and he pressed a hand to her forehead to feel her temperature.

"I'm fine." Briar replied.

All the same, Fili opened up his jacket and allowed her to snuggle further into the warmth, making her almost vanish into his jacket. At least her shaking ceased a little now. "'ere, Mister Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori called from the front.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf," Gandalf replied, "and it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard." There were collective grumbles from the dwarves when he said this. Briar heard her father ask. "Are there any?"

"What?"

"Other wizards?" Bilbo added.

"There are five of us." Gandalf replied. "The greatest of our order is Saruman, The White. Then there are the two blue wizards....you know, i've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo asked.

"Oh, that would be Radagast, The Brown." Gandalf told him.

"Is he a great wizard, or is me more like you?" Bilbo asked. Briar snorted into Fili's coat at her daddy's sudden burst of boldness. There was a moment's pause before Gandalf said. "I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forestlands to the east, and a good thing too, for always, evil will look to find a foot-hold in this world."

Suddenly, Briar gave a fantastic sneeze.

"You sure you're okay?" Fili asked.

"Yes, i'm fine." Briar replied, her words slurred and stuffy.

Of course Fili didn't believe her. But he didn't say anything, only wrapped her further in his coat as the rain continued to pour.

 

 

***

 

 

It was half-way between midday and sundown when the rain finally stopped, much to everyone's relief.

As they rode in the shadow of the Ettenmoors, Everyone was a little concerned that Briar was still sneezing and shaking. Finally, Thorin called a halt at the ruins of an old farmhouse. "We'll camp here for the night." Thorin called out. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them." Fili helped Briar down from the saddle and gave her his cloak to wrap herself in as he followed his little brother into the trees.

"Oin, Gloin, get a fire going." Thorin continued.

Briar wandered further towards the ruin.

There was something about this place. She couldn't quite place it, but it was something that sent goosebumps all throughout her body."Everything alright, lass?" Briar jumped at the sound of Balin's voice.

"There's something wrong." Briar told him. "I'm not sure what it is, but I can't shake the feeling that we're in danger."

Balin gave her a look that she couldn't identify. She got the distinct feeling he agreed with her. "It could just be my imagination running wild with me." She added in a lighter tone.

"Could be, lass. Could be." Balin responded. They were distracted by Gandalf stomping past. "Everything alright?" Bilbo asked. "Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense." The wizard replied, not pausing for a moment.

"And who's that?" Bilbo asked.

" _Myself,_ Master Baggins!" Gandalf snapped. As he walked away, Briar heard him growl. "I've had enough of dwarves for one day." Thorin gazed after the wizard with contempt, and barked. "Come on, Bombur, we're hungry."

"Is he coming back?" Bilbo asked.

Balin shrugged.

"He'll come back pappa." Briar assured him, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

 

 

***

 

 

After a brief examination, Oin concluded that Briar had a cold, and gave her a tonic to drink.

Briar went around camp, asking wherever she could whether anyone needed help, but she was graciously denied. "He's been a long time." Bilbo murmured as he walked up to the fire.

"Who?" Bofur asked as he scooped two bowls of stew.

"Gandalf." Bilbo said in exasperation.

"He's a wizard." Bofur stated. "He does as he chooses. Here," he added, handing Bilbo the bowls, "do us a favor, take this to the lads." Briar immediately jumped up-shedding Fili's cloak in the process-, offering to go with her father. Bilbo nodded, and the two hobbits walked off to find the princes. They found the two brothers standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the ponies.

The moment she saw the frozen expressions on their faces, Briar knew something was wrong. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"We're supposed too be looking after the ponies." Kili said.

"Only we've encountered a...slight problem." Fili added.

The four of them turned to face the ponies.

"We had sixteen." Said Kili.

"Now there's...fourteen." Fili stated.

They walked among the small heard to find the brothers were right; they were two ponies short. "Daisy and Bungo are missing." Kili said as he, Fili and Briar came over to a large, upturned tree.

"Huh...well, that's not good...and that is not good _at all._ Shoulden't we tell Thorin?" Bilbo stammered.

"Uh, no, best not worry him." Fili said. "As our official burglar, we thought, you might like to look into it."

"Well...i-it looks like so-something _big_ uprooted these trees." Bilbo commented.

"That was our thinking." Kili remarked.

"Something _very_ big..." Bilbo continued. "and possibly quite dangerous."

Briar's head snapped up at the snap of a twig, and she saw the distant orange glow of a fire. "Hey, there's a light." She whispered as loud as she dared. Fili motioned the others forward to crouch behind a log. There was a loud sneeze, and a great bellow of laughter. "What is it?" Bilbo asked.

"Trolls." Kili growled. The two brothers jumped up and ran on toward the light, and Briar followed close behind.

She and Fili ducked behind a tree, while Kili and Bilbo hid behind a fallen log.

As they watched, an enormous troll lumbered past, a pony under each arm.

"He's got Mertyl and Minty!" Exclaimed Bilbo. "I think their going to eat them! We have to do something!" The brothers cast a unified look at Bilbo, and Kili said. "Yes, you should. Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you!" Bilbo protested through his reasoning. "It's perfectly safe! We'll be right behind you."

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, and once like a brown owl." Fili added, shoving Bilbo out onto the path. As Bilbo walked on, Briar asked. "Fili, what exactly were you doing that you didn't notice _three huge mountain trolls?_ " Fili chuckled nervously and smiled sheepishly. As did Kili. Briar rolled her eyes at them, and stepped out onto the path.

"Wait!" Fili said, taking her arm. "You can't go! It's to dangerous!"

"Oh, so you send Bilbo in, alone, unarmed, and you worry about _my_ safety?" Briar hissed.

She didn't give the blond dwarf a chance to answer before she wrenched her arm from his grip and crept down the path. She got to the campsite just in time to see Bilbo get grabbed by a troll and used as a handkerchief. Briar coughed to keep from vomiting at the sight. Before she knew it, Bilbo was on the ground in Kili's arms, and the rest of the company was charging forth, roaring battle cries and brandishing their weapons.

It didn't last long before Bilbo got caught.

"Ley down yer arms, or we'll rip 'is off!" One of the trolls demanded.

After a brief moment-and a terrified look from Bilbo-, Thorin sighed in frustration and dropped his sword. The others followed suit, and it wasn't long before half of the company was tied up in sacks, while the other half were trussed up like chickens and being turned on a spit over the fire. Briar listened as the trolls argued over how to cook dwarf.

Briar nearly applauded her father stauling the trolls, and cursed silently at the bone-headed dwarves for not going along with it. It was as the skinniest troll picked up Bombur and was about to eat him that Briar decided to act. Thankfully, she still had all her weapons. Bursting out of the trees, her little bow in hand, she shot and arrow, and it struck the troll in the eye. The troll howled in pain as it dropped Bombur back onto the pile. Briar danced around the huge, meaty paws of the trolls, continuing to stab them with her knives and sword, or shoot arrows at them. To say that Bilbo was startled to see his daughter weilding weapons like she had been born to it was a massive understatement.

The dwarves however cheered for the tiny hobbitess.

This didn't last long however before one of the trolls seized her in it's giant hand.

She screamed as the troll gripped her tight enough to crack bone.

The great brute threw her against a tree, and she went out like a light.  


	7. Chapter 7

"Briar?"

Briar groaned as her senses slowly returned to reality.

"Briar? Can you hear me?"

There was something pressing on her stomach. She gasped in pain and arched up off the grass. She peeled her eyes open, and as her vision came into focus, She made out Fili and Bilbo crouched over her. Oin was crouched beside Bilbo. He gently pressed a hand on her stomach, and Briar hissed in pain. "Eh, it doesn't feel like anything's broken, though you may have cracked a rib or two." the old dwarf stated.

He drew a vile from his satchel and handed it to Bilbo. "Drink lass." Oin told her. "It'll help with the pain."

Bilbo helped Briar sit up and touched the bottle to her lips. Briar made a face at the sour taste, but she kept drinking until Oin said to stop. When Thorin gave the order for the company to follow him, Fili helped Briar to her feet and easily supported her as she hobbled after the others.

They spent several hours wandering around until they finally found the cave beneath a massive overhang of rock.

There were bones littering the entrance, and a cloud of flies swarming around.

Briar denied Fili's offer to go in, And Fili helped her settle in the roots of a tree.

Sighing with relief, Briar slowly let her eyes drift shut.

A short nap wouldn't hurt.

 

 

***

 

 

Briar was jolted awake, by a low, moaning howl echoing through the trees.

She scrambled to her feet as all the dwarves held their weapons up.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo exclaimed. "A-are there wolves out there?"

"Wolves?" Said Bofur. "No, that is not a wolf."

Everyone turned at the sound of a snapping twig just in time to see a warg charge down the hillside. Briar rolled out of the way in time to avoid getting crushed, and Thorin quickly dispatched the beast with his sword. No sooner had he done that than a second one came charging in. "Kili! Your bow!" Thorin shouted. Briar beat him to it, and Dwalin finished the job with his warhammer.

"Warg scouts." Thorin growled. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Exclaimed Bilbo.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf demanded.

"No one." Thorin replied.

"Who did you tell!" Gandalf pressed.

"No one, I swear!" Thorin insisted. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted." Gandalf stated.

"We have to get out of here." Dwalin growled.

"We can't!" Ori shouted as he and Bifur ran back down the hill. "We have no ponies! They bolted!"

"I'll draw them off." said what looked to be another dwarf dressed in brown, and Briar wondered when he had arrived.

"These are Gundabad wargs!" Gandalf exclaimed. "They will outrun you!"

"These are Ruscabel Rabbits!" The stranger countered. "I'd like to see them try."

"Are you okay to run, Briar?" Bilbo asked. Briar nodded, and Bilbo said. "Stay close to me, Fili, or Bofur, understand?" Briar nodded and replied. "Yes pappa." As Gandalf led the way on toward the boulders, Briar was sucked into the center of the protective fold of dwarves. She grit her teeth against the pain from her ribs and kept pace with the dwarves, Fili's hand a tight clamp on her shoulder.

They were led around like rats through a maze.

Finally, they came to a gentle dip in the ground surrounded by boulders and trees.

The group halted as the wargs started closing in all around them.

"There's more coming!" Kili screamed.

"Kili! Briar! Shoot them!" Thorin roared.

"We're surrounded!" Fili cried.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin commanded, drawing his sword. It was as the dwarves and hobbits stood ready to fight for their lives that they heard a holler of "This way, you fools!" Everyone looked up in time to see Gandalf dissapear beneath a boulder. Briar continued fireing arrows at the wargs. It only seemed like a short time before she turned to find she was alone on the moors.

"Fili? Bofur? Pappa? Where are you?" She screamed.

"We're down here, Briar, follow our voices!" She heard Gandalf bellow.

She gazed around frantically. There were so many boulders! Which one was it? The orcs grinned devilishly at the sight of the tiny creature all on her own. "I can't find you!" She shouted. She slung her bow over her back and empty quiver, and drew her little sword as the orcs closed in around her. She screamed as a warg leaped at her with incredible speed. She raised her sword to block it, but it was a futile effort as the warg sank it's fangs into the junction of her neck and shoulder, and shook her violently until she fell from it's grip. As fast as she was able, she thrust her sword up into the warg's throat. The warg howled as Briar became sprayed with its blood, and she rolled out from under it in time to avoid getting crushed.

She clashed swords with the orc rider for a few minutes, before slashing it's throat.

No sooner had she done that, than a wargs fangs sank into her leg and pulled her off her feet.

She hacked desperately at it's muzzle as it's fangs tore into her.

It was less that five minutes before four wargs closed in around her and started using her as a chew toy. She was screeching in agony when an arrow suddenly sprouted from a warg's shoulder. The warg's dropped her to the ground, and she narrowly danced-or rather crawled-around getting trampled by a stampede of paws and hooves. When she could pull herself no farther, she collapsed on the ground and wailed.

When a pair of hands grabbed hold of her, she shrieked and kicked.

"Easy, little one. I got you." A steady voice ushered. Briar was turned over to find it was an elf that was holding her. "It's going to me okay, my lady. Just stay awake. Stay with me." He urged her. All that Briar managed was a strangled cry of pain. The fair being took her up in his arms and rushed her away. Suddenly, Briar was much, much higher off the ground, and she realized she was on a horse. Gentle hands wrapped her in a cloak before the horse started moving.

She let her head drop against the elf's chest before her vision gave way to blackness.

 

 

***

 

 

Bilbo swallowed thickly, fighting the tears that were threatening to break as he followed the dwarves down into Rivendell.

His little girl, his own flesh and blood, his pride and joy....the thought of her laying broken and battered on that plain made it feel as if his heart had been shattered to dust. There was a solem silence as the dwarves crossed the bridge into the courtyard.

No one said a word as Gandalf conversed with an elf, asking about Lord Elrond.

They prayed with all their might that the elves had found Briar in time, that she was here, in Rivendell.

Everyone turned at the sound of a horn to see several mounted elves riding their way.

The dwarves immediately pulled themselves into a tight ring brandishing their weapons, while the elves cricled their horses at a trot around the band. Eventually, the elves slowed to a stop, and Gandalf talked with Lord Elrond in the elvish tongue, which annoyed the dwarves greatly. Bilbo froze when he caught sight of a heap of sable curls in the arms of one of the elves.

"W-Who is that?" He stuttered, pointing. "Who is that elf carrying?"

The entire company looked over to where Bilbo was pointing. As the elf dismounted from his horse, a head flopped forth from the bundle in his arms. It was Briar. The entire company stared in horror at what had happened to the tiny hobbitess. What little skin they could see beneath blood and mangled flesh was deathly pale. She had lost alot of blood. She was fading. "Ada." Said the elf carrying her to Lord Elrond. "We're loosing her. I've been trying to keep her awake, but she keeps slipping in and out." Just then, Briar's mouth opened and she let out a bone-chilling wail.

The elves moved fast into the building, with the dwarves racing after them.

By the time the company reached the healing chambers, they found Briar on a bed surrounded by an army of healers.

She was sobbing and panting, letting out a pained keening noise with each breath. She had a piece of leather in her mouth to keep her from biting her tongue. The elves were holding her down without much difficulty.

The dwarves were instantly by the bed.

Bilbo wasn't holding back his tears anymore. Seeing his daughter in so much pain...this was worse.

"Can you save her?" Thorin asked Elrond.

"We will do everything in our power, Master Dwarf. That much, I promise." The elf lord replied.

It was as the elves were working to clean and heal the puncture wounds on her chest and stomach that the tiny creature fainted. Without her struggling, the elves were able to work much faster now. But it still took till sundown before they had done all they could do. They left Briar asleep on the bed, and Elrond stated that if she survived the night, she most likely would live.

Soon the dwarves were left with Briar.

Bilbo slowly walked closer and sat beside his unconcious daughter. Half of her face and most of her body were wrapped in bandages. Her breathing was faint and ragged. Bilbo took her hand in his. "Briar, sweetheart...." He said, his voice choked with tears. "I don't know if you can hear me or not....but if you can, please.... _please_ don't go out on me like this....Briar, i'm begging you....I lost your mother....I can't bear to loose you too. Please...come back." No response came. Bilbo leaned forward to bury his face in his daughter's hair as he sobbed.

The dwarves, understanding the pain of loosing loved ones to orcs, left the chambers to give Bilbo some time.

A memory flashed before Bilbo's eyes.

Jessica laying dead in a pool of her own blood.

Little newborn Briar bawling at the sudden departing from her mother.

The image of Jessica laying on that bed, stone-cold, gone from him forever. That was more than he could bear. Great Yavanna, he could not go through that again. He just couldn't.

 

 

***

 

 

Briar took in a slow, ragged breath.

Holy Yavanna, everything _hurt!_

She gave a ragged moan as her eyes fluttered open. Her left eye was covered in bandages, so she could only see out of her right. She reached up a hand and touched to find that the entire right side of her face was covered in bandages.

Her arm flopped limply back down on the bed.

Bright sunlight flooded the room, the drapes making the room glow in a soft green hue.

She looked up at a soft touch to her forehead and a gentle voice saying. "Easy, my lady."

Briar turned her gaze to find a tall, dark-haired man sitting on the edge of the bed. His crystal clear blue eyes were warm and kind, and he smiled welcomingly as he gently stroked the side of her face.

"Where am I?" Briar asked in a barely audible whisper.

"You are in the House of Elrond." He told her. "It was vital that we get you here. We nearly lost you."

"You..." She gasped. "The moors....was you."

"Yes, I was the one who carried you here." The elf responded. "My name is Elrohir. I want you to know, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, alright?" Briar nodded weakly, smiling to the elf. "Here." He said, gently helping her up so that she could drink the tea he brought forth. She licked her lips in relishment of the taste. But from the bitter aftertaste, she realized a sleeping drought had been put in the tea. She smiled at Elrohir and murmured. "You bastard." Before she drifted off again.

 

 

***

 

 

   


	8. Chapter 8

During her time in bed, Briar met Elrohir's twin brother Elladan, and his little sister Arwen. She became fast friends with all three. Whenever the company came by, she faked being asleep, faked the need for privacy, or just flat out ignored them. She wasn't ready to forgive them just yet. It was after about two weeks of bedrest that Briar was declared well enough to walk again. She was given a cane though, just for precautions. Arwen helped her into a beautiful dressed made of a shimmery, cream-colored silk, and trimmed in gold.

Together, they walked out to the balcony were breakfast was being served.

The company grew quite as Briar emerged from the halls with the elf maiden.

They visibly winced at the scars the dress didn't hide.

Bilbo felt a twang deep within him as he watched his child walking with a cane.

Briar took a seat with Arwen and the twins, not meeting the eyes of anyone in the company. Bilbo swallowed hard at the fact that his daughter was ignoring him. "Briar?" Fili murmured. Briar didn't answer him, instead focusing on her plate. "Briar, please...look at me....say something." Fili pleaded. Again, he was met with silence. Briar focused instead on her food and her conversation with the elven siblings.

When Fili gently reached out to grip her shoulder, she shook him off.

After Briar finished her food, she politely excused herself and got up to leave.

Right then, Fili stood up and gripped her shoulders so she couldn't move.

"Briar, you are not moving from this spot until you say something to me." The blond prince demanded. "A sound, a word, a phrase, _anything!"_ Everyone watched to see what Briar's reaction would be. She glared at him through narrowed eyes that seared like molten gold. Then, to the complete surprise of everyone there, she blew a raspberry in his face. Fili simply stared at her, and Briar swerved around him and walked off into the halls. She walked back to the healing chambers for her schedualed check-up.

The healer had her sit on the bed while he did a thorough examination of her leg.

He had her swing her foot this way and that, curl her toes, bend her leg, test her reflexes.

"Well," He said when he finished, "I'd say give it a few more days, and you shouldn't have any more problems with it."

"Thank you." Briar responded.

 Next, he had her lay face down on the bed while he examined her back.

Once that was done, he lightly tested if her cracked ribs were healed, and found it to be satisfactory. It was as he was finishing up the examination, that Fili entered the room. Briar made a pointed effort to not meet his gaze. "How is she?" She heard him ask.

"Healing remarkably well." The healer replied. "You should count yourself lucky, my lady. Anyone else who had gone through what you did would have died."

"Could you please...give us a moment?" The dwarf prince asked.

"Of course." The healer replied, and left the room.

Briar was alone with Fili now.

"Briar..." Fili murmured. She didn't so much as twitch. "Briar, look at me." He said roughly. Briar clenched her jaw, refusing to oblidge him. She heard his footsteps approach, and his strong hand gripped her chin and turned her head, making her look him in the eye. "Briar, i'm sorry." He said, his eyes wide with an honest want for forgiveness. "We wanted to help, but-"

"Then why didn't you?" Briar snapped.

Fili didn't answer, because there was no answer he could think of.

Truely, nothing had stopped them from coming to her aid.

They could have easily climbed back out of the hole.

With all of them together, they could have taken on the orc pack. So what had stopped them from helping her? Briar took his silence as an invitation to continue. "I may be small and quick, but I can't take on an orc pack alone. You saw what happened! The wargs used me as a chew toy! If Elrohir and the elves hadn't arrived when they did, I would be long dead by now. You left me to die, Fili. All of you did."

"Briar, please, try to understand that none of us would ever purposefully leave you." The blond dwarf insisted.

"How do I know that I can believe you? Give me some manner of proof. Show me why." Briar demanded.

She couldn't help a startled squeak when Fili crushed his lips to hers in a searing and powerful kiss.

He broke the kiss slowly and whispered. "That's why."

Using his braids like reigns, she tugged him onto the bed with her, and he pulled her into another deep and passionate kiss.

 

 

***

 

 

"Are you sure about this?" Briar asked.

"More sure than i've ever been about anything in my entire life." Fili replied.

It had been four days since Fili and Briar had shared their first kiss. Four days, and Briar was now declared well enough to travel again. Fili wanted to do this before they set out. Briar sighed and roll over so she was half-laying on him. "And what are you going to say?" She asked. "How are you going to go about this?"

"My way." Fili replied.

The look Briar gave him said everything.

"Alright." Fili said, and cleared his throught. "'Bilbo Baggins, you're daughter is truely unlike any woman i've ever known. I am in love with her. I wish to court her, and marry her, in good time. We've come to ask for your blessing.'" He paused for a moment before he asked. "How was that?"

"Hm, it's a start." Briar responded, earning a playful swat from Fili.

The two laughed and snuggled for a brief time. "Well then, shall we?" Briar suggested.

Not waiting for him to answer, she rolled out of bed, stood up, and straightened out her dress. Fili got out of bed as well, stretching his arms high above him, before he offered her his arm, and the two of them walked out together. The company looked up as the two of them came out onto the balcony. There were many hushed whispers of excitment, but they swiftly fell silent and Bilbo stood in front of the two of them. "Bilbo Baggins," Fili said, "Your daughter is truely a remarkable young woman. I confess, I am in love with her. I wish to court her, and marry her, in good time. We've come to ask for your blessing." Bilbo's gaze flicked back and forth between Briar and Fili for a long moment. Finally, his eyes settled on his daughter. "Is this what your really want, Briar?" He asked.

"Yes. More than anything, yes." Briar replied.

Bilbo was silent again for a long moment before he said. "I've seen how much Fili cares about you...even though it didn't really look that way in the beginning." The company chuckled at the memory. "But," Bilbo continued, "nonetheless, I have seen that he does care deeply about you. And now I see you feel the same for him. I know that he will always be there for you, and that he will keep you safe.....so of course you have my blessing."

The dwarves cheered, and Briar leaped forth to hug her father.

"But," Bilbo added loudly, "no funny business until after you're married, do you understand?"

"Oh, come on, Bilbo, man up." Kili said, clapping Bilbo on the shoulder. "They're going to do it sooner or later, right?" The only response he got was a hard slap from Briar. Kili stumbled away, and pretended to look hurt. The dwarves laughed, and Bofur commented. "Ya gotta hand it to 'er, the wee lass is quite the little spitfire."

 

 

***

 

 

The company left Rivendell early the next morning.

Briar didn't feel very comfortable about leaving Gandalf behind.

She and Thorin had had a good long argument about it, before Briar had finally thrown her hands up in surrender. Now, she walked in between Fili and Dori as the company walked single-file out of Rivendell. "Be on your guard. We're about to step over the edge of The Wild." Thorin told them. "Balin, you know these paths. Lead on." Thorin stepped aside to let the old dwarf take the lead.

Briar saw her father stop on the edge of the path, gazing down fondly at Rivendell.

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." Thorin told him.

Bilbo sighed before he came over to walk beside Briar.

Briar gave him a reassuring smile and adjusted her now-full quiver higher on her shoulders.

As they trecked on into the vast landscape, she sincerely hoped they wouldn't need Gandalf too soon.

 

 

***  


	9. Chapter 9

They had spent two days of travel now, and were making great time. Briar couldn't help but admire the stunning landscape as they walked. The company sang, talked and made merry the entire way. Briar spent a lot of time getting to know her family-to-be.

Over this time, Thorin explained how significant braids were, the meaning of each one, and lots more on that topic. 

It was on their second night that she and Fili were relaxing together by the fire while the others played some music.

She was laid out across Fili's lap, working on a drawing she'd been doing for the past few days, while Fili played idly with a lock of her hair. After a while, Fili asked. "Balin, you wouldn't happen to have any uncarved beads with you, would you? We think it would be a good idea if Briar had her own beads to put in our braids."

"Aye, lad, that I do." Balin replied.

Briar went over to the old dwarf, and he handed her the beads, while Bombur handed her a carving knife.

"Try to make each bead exactly the same." Dori suggested.

Bifur said something in Khuzdul, and Briar looked to Balin and asked. "Translation please."

The dwarves chuckled, and Balin said. "He said, do something you like, or an initial from your name."

Briar frowned in thought for a few moments, before an idea came to her.

So, on each bead, she carved a miniature picture of the tree on the top of the hill at Bag-End. The dwarves finished with dinner and started making plans for tomorrow as she carved. "Done." She said when she finished the last one. She handed them to Balin at his request so he could see. "That's beautiful, lass." Balin commented. everyone took a look at her handiwork, and Balin said. "Kili, Thorin, help them out with these, will you?"

The two of them each took a few beads.

While Thorin helped Briar with her hair, Kili helped his brother with his.

"What?" Briar asked when she heard Thorin's deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Just the thought of having a new niece." Thorin replied. "Now i'll have three times the trouble to deal with." Everyone else laughed, and Briar pretended to look offended.

"Would you like some beads and braids of your own, Bilbo?" Nori asked.

"Oh, no thank you." Bilbo replied. Father and daughter smiled warmly to each other, all the words needing to be said conveyed in that one look. That night, she slept comfortably wrapped in her lover's arms.

 

 

***

 

 

Unfortunately, the next day was not quite so cheery.

as they climbed higher and higher into the mountains, they became caught in the downpour of a massive thunderstorm.

They hugged they cliffside as they followed the narrow trail up.

There was one time where Bilbo nearly fell over the edge, but Dwalin and Bofur caught him in time and pulled him back.

"We must find shelter!" Thorin called out from the front of the line.

" _Look out!!!_ " Dwalin roared, and everyone slammed against the cliffface to avoid getting crushed as a huge boulder crashed into the mountainside and shattered, sending stone raining down everywhere. "This is no thunderstorm!" Balin yelled above the noise. "It's a Thunder _Battle! Look!_ " Everyone looked where he was pointing, and Briar felt her stomach drop to her feet as a huge, shadowy figure detached itself from the mountain.

"Well, bless me!" Exclaimed Bofur. "The legends are true! _Giants! Stone Giants!"_

The giant threw another boulder at the mountainside.

"Take cover, you fool!" Thorin roared, and Bofur was yanked back against the cliffface.

"Hold on!" Dwalin screamed.

Suddenly, a fissure opened up, dividing the company in half, and Briar looked up, in horror, to find they were standing on the knees of another giant. "Kili, take Briar!" Fili shouted. Before his lover could protest, Fili grabbed her and tossed her across to his brother. The company held on tight as they were swung about. When the knee that Kili, Thorin and Briar stood on crashed into the edge of the trail, everyone scrambled to get off. There was still the matter of the other half of the company though. Briar only caught a fleeting glimpse of her father and her lover as they were both swept passed.

She bit her knuckles when the giant suddenly started falling.

When the knee the other half of the company was standing on crashed into the trail, Briar released a screech of horror. "Noooo! Pappa! Fili!" She darted and swerved around the rest of the dwarves and arrived just behind Thorin.

She almost felt weak with relief when she saw everyone was still alive and kicking.

As she went among her fallen companions, her smile faded when she did a headcount.

"Pappa?" She called out. "Pappa? Where are you?"

"There!" exclaimed Bofur, and Briar spotted a pair of hands clinging desperately to the edge. "GET HIM!!!" Dwalin roared, and as Bofur slid forward to grab him, Briar couldn't stifle a yelp when Bilbo slid down further. Ori and Bofur were leaning over the edge, calling for Bilbo to grab hold. It wasn't long before Thorin swung himself down and hoisted Bilbo up into the arms of the company. Briar immediately scrambled forward and put her arms around him. No sooner had Thorin done that, than he himself slipped.

With a great amount of effort, Dwalin pulled him back up.

Everyone waited to catch their breath for a moment. "I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin said with relief.

"He's been lost ever since he left home." Thorin sneered. "He should never have come. He has no place among us." Ignoring Briar-who was giving him a look that could have killed a thousand armies if looks could kill-, Thorin tromped off into a hidden cave, barking for Dwalin to follow. "Don't you listen to him Pappa." Briar growled. "You have as much right to be here as anyone."

She got no response from him as the dwarves came into the caves.

She lay cuddled by her father that night, determined to give him some love even if no one else would.

 

 

***

 

 

"Did you really think you could go that easily?"

Briar's words stopped Bilbo in his tracks. Her eyes opened and she stood up. "Pappa, you can't leave. Not now." She exclaimed, her eyes going wide with her infamous puppy-dog stare.

"Oh, Briar.." Bilbo groaned.

"She's right lad." Bofur spoke up from where he sat on watch. "You can't leave now, eh. You're part of the company. You're one of us!"

"I'm not though, am I?" Bilbo countered. "Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right. I'm not a Took. I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking...I should've never run out my door."

"You're right." Briar said. "You're not a Took. Or a Baggins. You're both."

"You're homesick." Bofur added. "I understand."

"No you don't!" Bilbo hissed. "You don't understand! _None_ of you do! You're _dwarves!_ You-you stick to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!"

"Pappa!" Briar snapped.

Bilbo paused for a moment before he said. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...."

"No you're right." Bofur said solemly, looking back at his kin. "We don't belong anywhere."

"Bofur..." Briar whispered.

"What's that?" Bofur said suddenly.

Briar followed his line of sight to Bilbo's sword, and Bilbo drew it partially to reveal that it was glowing light blue. "Why is it glowing?" Briar said in a trembling voice, but judging by Bilbo's terrified face, she had a pretty good guess what the answer was. There was a creaking and groaning sound, and Briar looked to see a crack splitting open along the center of the cave.

"Wake up. _Wake up!_ " Thorin barked.

Just like that, the trap door opened, and the entire company was sent tumbling head over heels down a massive stone shoot. At the bottom of it, they fell into a massive basket at the end of a long wooden bridge. Thankfully, Briar was the last to tumble out, so the landing was soft. They didn't even have time to untangle themselves before they were set upon by a hoard of goblins.

The company kept shifting Briar to the very back as they were pulled out one by one, but it was futile effort.

She struggled and screeched like a writhing cat, spewing out a toxic brew of profanities at the goblins carrying her. The company struggled and kicked and fought the goblins, but they were outnumbered as they were forced down the bridges and pathways. As Briar tried to slip away from the goblins, she saw Bilbo far behind fighting a lone goblin. She slipped out of the grip of the hoard, and raced back to help her father. With a feral battle cry, she leaped onto the goblin and started stabbing him with one of her knives.

The three of them were spinning about as they fought, and it didn't take long before they went tumbling over the edge, screaming as they dissapeared into darkness.

 

 

***

 

 

Briar's eyes peeled open slowly, wary to make any sort of movement until she knew where she was.

She could hardly see a thing down here. If it wasn't for the light of Bilbo's sword, the place would be pitch black she estimated. "Pappa?" She whispered.

"Briar?" came the soft reply.

They both looked in the same direction to see the imobalized goblin laying just out of arms reach in front of them.

The hobbits froze when they heard the sound of heavy, coarse breathing.

Briar's eyes went wide as a bizarre, slimy gray creature materialized out of the dark, it's pale eyes glowing like lamps. "Yessss..... _Yesssss...."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fanart would be welcome, if anyone wanted to do it.


	10. Chapter 10

The dwarves were running at a full sprint through the tunnels.

They were slashing and stabbing at goblins at every turn.

They nearly screamed in relief when they finally reached an opening. "Come on! Hurry!" Gandalf hollered, waving them onward. The dwarves didn't break stride for a moment. They burst out into the sunlight and started weaving among the rocks and trees as they ran on and on and on. Gandalf took this opportunity to do a headcount. "Five, six, seven...Bifur, Bofur, that's ten....Fili, Kili, that's twelve....and Bombur, that makes thirteen." He finished as the fat dwarf came charging down. "Were are Bilbo and Briar, eh?" The wizard asked breathlessly. "Where are our hobbits?" when no one answered, Gandalf yelled. "WHERE ARE OUR HOBBITS!?"

Fili looked in horror at the tunnel from which they'd come.

"No...." He whispered. "Please, Mahal, _no_..."

"What if they're still trapped in there?" Kili called out. "We have to go help them!"

"If they can't bother to stay with the group, then I say bugger them." Gloin growled.

Fili turned to face the redhaired dwarf with a look of pure venom. "Fili?" Kili murmured. "Fili, no. No. Fili!"

Thorin and Kili grabbed the blond prince before he could jump Gloin. "Say that again! I dare you! Say it!" Fili roared.

"Fili, calm. Down!" Kili said, taking his brother's face in his hands.

"I can't lose her brother." Fili murmured. "I just can't."

 

 

***

 

 

Bilbo and Briar swerved narrowly through the tunnels, doing their best to avoid getting stuck.

There was one incident when Bilbo got wedged into a crevice, and Briar had to pull him out.

He got out, but lost all the buttons on his waistcoat.

"Pappa, this way!" Briar hollered. "I see a way out!" Bilbo followed his daughter on out of the tunnels and into the cliffs beyond, weaving among the rocks and trees. When they saw the blaze of a fire, Briar felt her heart drop to her feet. There was an orc pack standing at the base of a felled tree that was hanging over the edge of a cliff, with most of the company clinging desperately to it.

There before her eyes, a massive white warg had Thorin in it's jaws.

She watched in horror as Thorin was thrown like a ragdoll. The pale orc riding the warg said something to one of his companions, and that orc slid off his mount and drew his sword, walking towards Thorin. Bilbo and Briar drew their swords as well, sprinting as fast as their little legs would carry them. With a unified cry, Bilbo and Briar leaped at the orc and stabbed it untill it was dead. Drawing their swords once more, The two hobbits stood as a protective wall between Thorin and the pack. "You will not touch him again!" Briar growled. The pale orc rumbled in laughter at the two tiny creatures standing between him and his prize. He growled something that the hobbits didn't understand, and the rest of the pack started stalking forward.

Briar stood strong and confidant by her father.

She knew she most likely wouldn't survive another rrun in with an orc pack, but she was determined that Thorin would. Thorin deserved to see the mountain again. He deserved to see his kingdom restored. She would not let that dream end here.

Suddenly, as the orcs closed in, Fili and Kili charged in, with Dwalin close behind, howling battle cries, slashing and hacking like madmen.

With cries of their own, Briar and Bilbo joined the fight.

Briar swerved and ducked beneath the snapping teeth and slashing weapons, and ran straight at Azog.

She wasn't afraid of this monster right then.

No. Adrenaline and a powerful protective instinct had ruled out all other emotions. Letting out a screech that sounded more animal than hobbit, she charged at the white warg and gave a slash that opened it's nose wide. The beast yelped, and Briar ducked beneath it's snapping teeth. Azog swung his mace at her, and she swerved to avoid it. She continued to hack and slash at both beast and rider. Suddenly, Azog's metal claw closed around her throat. she gasped and choked and clawed desperately at his arm to try and get him to let go.

Azog laughed in victory, and pointed her sword at her heart.

Just then, there was a loud screech, and the sound of wings thundering through the air.

Azog looked around, snarling in rage at whoever had dared foil his plans.

Briar took this opportunity to take back her sword and slash at his arm, making him drop her.

She only had a few seconds of breath before a huge pair of talons closed around her and carried her right off the cliff.

Briar looked back in time to see an eagle carrying Thorin in it's talons.

There were many more carrying the rest of the company.

Azog roared at the escape of his prey, and Briar breathed a sigh of relief. They flew on and on, all through the night. Briar tried not to look down at the ground far below, for fear she might be sick. instead, she focused on the eagle carrying her, and the eagles carrying her companions. When her eyes found Thorin's limp form, she swallowed to fight back the tears that were threatening to burst. She heard Fili scream at the top of his voice. " _THORIN!!!!"_ He got no response.

 _He's not dead._ Briar thought frantically. _He_ can't _be dead!_

The eagles carried the company up over the mountains and swirled about in a great valley before setting them down on a massive spire of rock towering in the air. Thorin was the first to be let down, followed by Gandalf, Briar, Bilbo, and all the rest. Everyone stared anxiously as Gandalf crouched beside Thorin. The wizard slowly moved his hand over the prince's face, murmuring words foreign to everyone else's ears. When Thorin gasped and his eyes opened, there was a unified sigh of relief. "The company?" Thorin whispered.

"It's alright." Gandalf assured him. "Everyone's here, including our hobbits."

Gandalf stepped back as Dwalin and Kili helped Thorin to his feet.

Thorin shook them off, and turned his iron gaze on Bilbo.

"You." He snarled. "What were you doing? You very nearly got yourself killed!" Briar's mouth fell open. This was the last thing that she had expected to hear. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild? And that you had no place amongst us?" Thorin growled as he stopped in front of Bilbo. Briar bared her teeth in a snarl, ready to smack Thorin, when the dwarf suddenly pulled her father into a tight hug and said. "I have never been so wrong, in all my life." Briar released the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding and smiled at the ground, while the dwarves cheered.

"I'm sorry I doubted you." Thorin murmured.

"No, no, I would have doubted me too." Bilbo responded. "I'm not a hero, or a warrior....not even a burglar." The dwarves chuckled, and watched as the eagles flew away. "Briar." Briar looked up as Fili spoke, and watched as he stepped out of the group and walked up to her. For a long moment, blue eyes were locked with gold ones as they gazed at each other. slowly, Fili cupped her face in his hands. Then, in the same, slow pace, their lips connected in a deep and passionate kiss. The rest of the company cheered and whistled as they watched the two of them kiss.

The last thing she thought of was Fili's soft lips before she blacked out and fell limp in his arms.

 

 

***

 

 

The entire company stayed close as Oin gave Briar a look over.

"Well? How is she?" Bilbo asked.

"Well, the brute's grip left left quite the shiner on the wee lasse's neck, and there are a few other bruises here and there, but other than that...i'd say all she needs is a good, long rest." Oin replied. There were relieved murmurs from the company. Fili smiled as he crouched beside his sleeping lover. He gave her a quick kiss before he pulled his coat off and covered her with it. He stayed there for a long moment, gently rubbing the pad of his thumb across her cheek. He touched his forehead to hers and whispered. "Sleep well, my lovely. I shall be here when you wake."

With that, he sat with the rest of the company. Kili was grinning from ear to ear at his brother, which earned him a sharp slap.

 

 

***

 

 

When Briar woke up, it was the middle of the night.

They were no long on top of the Carrock, but were now down in the forests below.

She found herself asleep in the middle of a Fili-Kili sandwitch.

Bilbo and Bofur were asleep at her feet, Bofur's hat on top of his face. Dwalin and Nori were sleeping to her left, with Bifur and Ori on her right. Briar smiled at her lover, the ease he seemed to be in. She brought a hand up to his mustache, twirling a braid on one finger. "Hello love." she just barely whispered.

She almost jumped when he answered. "Hello."

They smiled as their eyes met. "Briar, can you promise me something?" He murmured.

"Of course." She replied.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Fili told her.

She grinned from ear to ear and pressed a kiss to his nose as she replied. "I'm not going anywhere."

Fili smiled and pulled her into another passionate kiss, being careful not to wake the others.

 

 

***

 

 

Dawn was just rising over the hills.

The group was pacing anxiously, waiting for Bilbo to come back down.

They looked up as Bilbo came racing back down the slope.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin demanded.

"Too close." Bilbo replied. "A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it."

"The wargs picked up our scent." Dwalin growled.

"Not yet." Bilbo responded. "We have another problem."

"Did they see you?" Gandalf asked. "They saw you!"

"No, that's not it." Bilbo told him.

Gandalf smiled at Bilbo. "Hah, what did I tell you, quite as a mouse." The dwarves nodded and gave their own consents to Bilbo, with the hobbit trying in vain to speak. "Will you stop talking for five minutes!" Briar hissed. When everyone was quiet, she asked. "Now what is it, pappa?"

"I was trying to say there is something else out there." Bilbo said, pointing outward.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asked.

"Y-Yes, but bigger, _much_ bigger." Bilbo responded.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur exclaimed.

Gandalf frowned and turned away.

"I say we double back." Bofur said.

"And be run down by a pack of orcs." Thorin growled. The group mumbled their agreement to Thorin.

"There is a house." Gandalf said suddenly, turning back to the group. "A house not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Who's house?" Thorin asked exasperatedly. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither." Gandalf responded. "He will help us or....He will kill us." After a few moments, Briar asked. "What choice to we have?"

A thunderous roar echoed through the hills, and Gandalf replied. "None."  


	11. Chapter 11

Gandalf led the way across the plains, the group keeping up easily as they ran at a full sprint.

"Run!" He screamed. Nobody needed to be told twice.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the line of trees.

They were well aware of the orc pack on their tail. They had to reach this house before the orcs caught up to them.

A thunderous roar unlike anything they'd ever heard before made them all stop for a brief moment before Gandalf urged them on, Thorin tugging Bombur along by his beard. Soon, they emerged from the treeline and finally spotted a massive house that was guarded by walls of hedge and wood and stone and surrounded by a small grove of trees. Briar took a moment to be surprised as fat Bombur outran everyone in his haste to reach the house. they raced beneath the hedge gate, through a large bee farm, and up to the door of the house.

Bombur slammed into the door so hard, he was thrown over backwards.

It took only a few seconds for the rest of the company to be clustered around and beating frantically at the door.

Briar's eyes went as wide as saucers when she looked back and saw the most massive bear she'd ever seen in her life come crashing out of the trees and lumbering straight for them. As soon as the bear emerged, Thorin forced his way to the front of the group and flipped up the latch on the door. The doors opened and everyone flooded inside, frantically pushing the heavy doors shut-right on the bear's snout!

The beast roared as it tried to push it's way in.

Briar slipped forward and gave the bear a hard punch in the nose, sending the beast reeling long enough for the dwarves to shut and bar the door. There was a unified sigh of relief. "What is that?" exclaimed Ori.

"That is our host." Gandalf replied.

Everyone stared at him with a unified look of _you're joking, right?_

"His name is Beorn," Gandalf continued. "and he's a skin-changer. Sometimes he's a huge black bear, sometimes he's a great, strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves." The company frowned and grumbled at this new-found knowledge. Several were still by the door, listening in case the bear tried to break in again. "He's leaving." Ori said as the heavy snuffing noises slowly faded.

"Come away from there!" Dori hissed as he pulled  his little brother away from the door. "It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious; he's under some dark spell."

"Don't be a fool." Gandalf retorted. "He's under no enchantment but his own. Now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." As the dwarves milled about to find places to sleep, Briar took this opportunity to explore a little. Near the door of the house, there were several stalls, containing a pair of oxen, a few horses, and some goats. Further in, there was a massive dining area that made her look like a doll by comparison. At one end of the dining room was a massive brick fireplace that could have fit six of her in it.

How big was this man?

When she returned to where the company was, Fili smiled and waved her over to where he and Kili were sleeping.

Briar smiled and scampered over.

She had to admit, the hay did make a good bed. So, she once again found herself in the middle of a Fili-Kili sandwitch for the night.

 

 

She was woken up in the middle of the night by the creak of a door opening.

Aparently she wasn't the only one.

Fili and Kili were crouched protectively over her, ready to defend her if need be. There was the sound of heavy footsteps, and the shape of the most immense man she'd ever laid eyes on came into the room. His back was to the moonlit window, so his face was cloaked in blackness. He stayed still for a few moments, breathing heavy, as if he had just run long and hard. Briar put a hand to the hilt of her little sword.

There was another few moments of quiet before the giant walked into another room.

"I guess he's a friend, then." She whispered.

 

 

Morning brought the arrival of their host.

Briar estimated that he stood at least ten feet tall, if not taller.

His deep, grating voice was just the kind of thing to make a wary visitor hesitant to speak to him.

Bilbo was the last of the company to wake as Beorn was going around the table, pooring milk into massive tankards for each one of his guests. "So you are the one they call Oakenshield." Beorn commented. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog?" said Thorin quietly. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains, before the orcs came down from the north." Beorn responded. "The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved." Briar's eyes were drawn to the manacle on his left wrist as he spoke. "Not for work, you understand. but for _sport._ Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." Briar shuddered at the thought of all the horrid things Azog must have done to Beorn and his family.

"There are others like you?" Bilbo asked.

"Once there were many." Beorn replied.

"And now?" Bilbo implied.

"Now, there is only one." Beorn responded.

Bilbo fell silent after that. "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autum." Beorn said as he took a seat near Gandalf.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." Gandalf confirmed.

"You are running out of time." Boern warned him.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood." Gandalf said.

"A darkness lies upon that forest." Beorn told him. "Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the orcs of Moria, and the Necromancer in Dul Guldur. I would not venture there, except in great need."

"We will take the elven road. That path is still safe." Gandalf responded.

"Safe?" Beorn echoed. "The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise, and more dangerous....but it matters not."

Thorin turned his gaze to Beorn and asked. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with orcs." Beorn responded. "Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive." The giant rose to his feet and walked slowly down the length of the table. "I don't like dwarves." He growled, making everyone shrink in their seats. "They're greedy, and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He stopped briefly to pick up a little white mouse that Bofur brushed off his sleeve, and then stopped in front of Thorin. Briar waited anxiously for what the skin-changer would say.

After a long pause, he said. "But orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

 

 

Beorn provided them with new ponies-requesting that they send the beasts back when they reached the edge of Mirkwood-, and enough supplies to get them through the forest if they rashioned it wisely. As the ponies were packed, Briar stopped for a moment and turned to face Beorn. "For what it's worth, Beorn..." she said to him. "I'll make sure Azog pays for every last skin-changer he killed." Beorn smiled down at her.

"You have a kind heart, little one." He commented. "And a bold one as well. I admire that."

"Briar, let's get a move on, lass." She heard Dwalin call.

Briar gave Beorn a final nod before she rushed over to the smallest pony in the group, which was clearly for her, as no one else had taken it. "Go now, while you have the light." Beorn told them. "Your hunters are not far behind."

The company left without another word.

They galloped a good portion of the way, riding over smooth, rolling hills.

They made great time, arriving at the edge of the forest only a short while after leaving Beorn's house.

As soon as they drew near the forest, the oppresive atmosphere was evident to Briar.

It was as if she could sense the shadows that stirred in it's depths. The sensation made goosebumps rise on her skin and the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "Briar? Are you okay?" Fili asked.

"No, no i'm not." She replied.

Fili's response was cut short by Gandalf's announcement of. "Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

"No sign of the orcs." Dwalin commented. "We have luck on our side."

Briar turned her gaze to the far-off cliffs. Sure enough, there was an immense black bear standing at the very peak. _luck has nothing to do with it._ She thought. "Set the ponies loose." Gandalf called out. "Let them return to their master." Briar dismounted, patted her beautiful pony on the neck, and began to unload all of the packs. The ponies were all unloaded, and the packs devided evenly among the company. Once the ponies were free of any and all gear, they were set loose, and Briar watched as they galloped back the way they had come.

"This forest feels...sick. As if a disease lies upon it." Bilbo said, voicing his daughter's thoughts

Nori was working to unsaddle Gandalf's horse when the gray wizard called out suddenly. "Not my horse! I need it!"

Everyone looked up in surprise at Gandalf. "You're not leaving us." Exclaimed Bilbo.

"I wouldn't do this unless I had to." Gandalf told him. Briar gave an exasperated sigh as Gandalf mounted his horse and rode off with a final warning to stay on the path. After a few moments, Thorin growled. "Let's move." and led the way into the trees.

Briar sighed again, before following after the others.

As soon as they entered the trees, Briar could feel the shadows pressing in all around her. It was disorientating. She could tell the rest of the company was feeling the same way. several members of the company ran into each other, while others were caught gawking around like owls. She watched as Bofur picked up a small leather pouch off the ground. "Look." He exclaimed. "There are dwarves in these woods."

"And dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less." added Ori.

"I recognize this tabacco pouch." Bofur said in wonder.

"That's because it's  _your_ tobacco pouch!" Bilbo hissed. "We're going in circles!"

Suddenly, Nori stopped at the head of the group. Briar shuffled her way to the front alongside Thorin. "Nori, what is it? Why have we stopped?" Thorin asked. The star-haired dwarf pointed straight ahead and said. "The path...it's gone."

"Find it! Find the path!" Thorin barked. Soon, everyone was wandering every which way, trying to figure out where to go. It wasn't long before isolated arguments started breaking out, steadily growing in volume. "STOP IT!!!!" Briar screeched, making everyone fall silent. " _Yes,_ we're lost, but fighting amongst ourselves is not going to get us any less lost, or any closer to that mountain! Now, if we're going to get unlost, we need to work to-geth-er!" Briar snapped, clapping her hands for emphasis at the end.

"The lass is right." Balin said.

As everyone gathered around, Thorin smiled at her and murmured. "You'll make a great leader one day."

Briar smiled back at him, then joined the others as they discussed possible ways of getting out of the forest.

Bilbo's plan of him climbing up a tree to see where they were at was quickly agreed on, and very soon, he was hoisted up into a tree and dissapeared into the leaves. There was a long period of tense waiting. The last thing Briar recalled was something sharp stabbing her in the back and Fili rushing forth to catch her in his arms before everything went completely black.

 

 

***

 

 

The dwarves were grumbling and barking at each other as they tore their way out of the cobwebs.

As soon as he was loose, Fili scrambled over to the smallest bundle in the pile and sliced open the cobwebs to reveal Briar's tiny form. "Briar." He said, shaking her gently. "Briar, wake up, love. Come on. You have to wake up!"

"Why won't she wake up?" Bofur shouted.

"It must be because she's so much smaller than us, so it may take longer for the venom to wear off." Oin suggested.

Thorin growled in frustration before he hoisted the tiny creature up onto his shoulders and barked an order to move as he piggie-backed her through the woods. The dwarves kept in a tight bunch as they ran, more and more spiders crawling down out of the higher branches. It was at this moment that Briar woke. She became aware of Thorin carrying her as her eyes opened, and tightened her grip on the fur collar of his jacket. It was subtle, but Thorin felt the increasing strength of her grip. He held her to his back with one hand, and with the other hand, he drew orcrist from its sheath, slashing and stabbing spiders as he went.

When Briar's full strength returned, she leaped down from Thorin's back and joined the fight.

One spider had Bombur pinned on his back. six of the dwarves each grabbed one of the spider's legs, and pulled until they ripped its legs right off. When Kili was seized by a spider, Briar fired an arrow from her little bow, striking the spider in the eye, startling it enough for Kili to turn and stab it. There was a brief respite in the onslaught, and they took it. Thorin led the way at a full sprint through the forest.

They skidded to a stop when a spider leaped down from the trees and started skiddering toward them.

Just as fast as the spider had come, a silver-haired elf swung down from the trees and landed on the spider's back, stabbing it dead with his sword. He slid down the slope with cat-like reflexes, stopping just inches from the company with an arrow drawn and ready to fire. In a flash, the company found themselves surrounded by an entire troop of elves, all with arrows drawn and ready to fire. "Don't think I won't kill you dwarf." growled the elf who had his arrow pointed at Thorin. "It would be my pleasure.

The company laxed their defenses as they realized there was no escaping this one.

A scream echoed through the woods, one they all recognized.

"KILI!!" Fili and Briar screamed in unison.

Briar forced her way to the front of the group to stand before the silver-haired elf. "My lord, one of my friends is in danger." She said to him, looking up with her wide, pleading puppy-dog stare, praying with all her might that he would listen. "Please, let me help him." The elf gave her a long look through narrowed eyes like chips of ice. Briar didn't lax her puppy-dog stare for a moment. Finally he nodded to her and shouted a command in elvish. an opening formed in the wall of archers, and Briar raced through it without a moment's hesitation.

The entire group watched until Briar was out of sight.

Suddenly, one of the archers turned his bow and fired in the direction Briar had ran.

Fili released a roar of rage and charged at the elf, only to be seized and held back by several other elves.

"You!" Fili roared, pointing at the archer, sounding very much like his uncle in that moment. "If they are dead because of you, there will be nowhere, _nowhere on earth you can hide from me!! THE DEEPEST, DARKEST DEPTHS OF HELL WILL BE NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU!!!"_ Thorin couldn't help feeling proud of his lionhearted nephew in that moment.   


	12. Chapter 12

Briar didn't hesitate a moment as the elves made way for her.

She took off into the trees, racing towards the sounds of scuffling and Kili's cries.

She gasped as an arrow flew past her, cutting her cheek, but she didn't break stride. Not for a moment. It was a shallow cut. It wouldn't take long to heal. It was her friend and future brother-in-law that she was worried about right then. She came racing down a hill to the sight of Kili being dragged along by a spider, the dwarf kicking and struggling to get away. Swiftly, Briar drew and arrow and fired, hitting the spider right in the eye.

Kili kicked loose, and the two of them stood back to back as spiders closed in all around them.

When a spider leaped out of a tree, Briar lunged up with her sword and stabbed it through the heart. It was dead before it hit the ground. She and Kili hacked and slashed and stabbed at the spiders, but for every one killed, more took it's place. Then, quite suddenly, an elven woman leaped out of the trees and joined the fight.

She was a whirl of red hair and flashing steel as she slayed the spiders.

 _show off._ Briar thought.

"Throw me a dagger!" Kili shouted as he saw another spider closing in. "Quick!"

"If you think i'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!" The she-elf shouted as she threw a knife to kill the spider. When the spider was dead, she nudged the two of them onward and said simply. "Move." The she-elf shuffled the two of them along until they rejoined the group. When they emerged, the silver-haired elf said. "Well done, Tauriel. That's the last of them." As soon as they were in reach, Fili drew his brother and his lover close to him.

"Search them!" The elf barked.

It took quite a while for the elf who was searching Fili-who was armed to the teeth-to pull out all his hidden knives. No matter how many times Briar smacked his hands away, another elf continued to search her. "This would go alot faster if you'd stop struggling." He told her.

"This would go alot faster if you'd _keep your hands off!_ " Briar snapped back. "We've done nothing wrong!"

"You are trespassing on our land." The elf said simply.

One elf called out something in his native tongue, and Briar watched as the silver-haired elf was handed Orcrist. The elf said something in his native language, then looked at Thorin. "Where did you get this?" He asked.

"It was given to me." Thorin replied. The elf gave Thorin a hard look before he placed the tip of the sword beneath the dwarf's chin, and growled. "Not just a thief, but a liar as well." He barked an order in elvish, and the company was swiftly chained together and blindfolded. It was a second before the blindfold covered her eyes that Briar realized Bilbo wasn't there. She didn't have any time to dwell on it.

The company was forced to move quickly through the trees.

Briar was still feeling the after-effects of the spider venom, and stumbled often.

The dwarves tried to help her keep her feet, but that didn't stop her stumbling and occasional collapse. As they kept moving, Briar's sharp ears picked up the sound of rushing water below them, and then the echoing of their footsteps. Were they in a cave?

When the blindfolds were finally pulled off, Briar saw that her estimation was close.

They were in some sort of underground dungeon.

The company members were placed in various prison cells located on several levels. She and Fili were placed in one cell, and Oin and Gloin were placed in another, for lack of room. At least they were all in earshot of each other. Briar was pushed into the cell first. Right before Fili was pushed into the cell, the elven guard pulled one last knife off him. "Do you have _any_ of your knives left?" Briar asked.

"A few." Fili replied. "A very few."

She briefly caught a glimpse of Thorin being led up a flight of steps by a pair of guards.

 _I wonder what they want with him._ Briar thought. Thorin being led away only confirmed her suspicion. There was an underlying feude here. Something the dwarves didn't tell her about. There was something deeper than unjust imprisonment that the dwarves were angry about.

As soon as the guards were gone, the dwarves began ramming and kicking and bashing at their cell doors to try and break them open.

"Leave it!" Balin's voice echoed through the halls. "This is no orc dungeon. These are the halls of the woodland realm. No one leaves here, but by the king's consent."

As the dwarves gave up on their feutal escape attempts, Briar called out. "Alright, I know there's some deeper feude going on here. I know you're mad about something much deeper and an unjust imprisonment. Anyone care to explain?" Her sharp tone was evident enough that they weren't getting out of this without saying something.

After a few moments, Balin sighed and said. "Alright lass....The elves of this realm were once our allies. But a feude broke out over payment. The elves said we refused to give them their rightful pay. We said the elves stole our treasure. And that was how the divide began. As the years went by, it only grew.

"When Smaug destroyed Erebor, as we were fleeing from the mountain, we saw King Thranduil and his army positioned at the top of the hills. We screamed for his help. Thranduil took one look at us, turned around, and marched his army home. When we came to him, seeking shelter, he turned his back on us, leaving us to wander The Wild alone. It's a feude that has never died."

There was a long period of silence.

"Briar?" Bofur inquired.

After a few more minutes of quiet, Briar said. "I find myself hating these elves more and more with each passing minute." There was an eruption of laughter from the dwarves at her words, and Briar smiled as she leaned back against the wall. Fili grinned wolfishly at her and said. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

Briar chuckled, and stood up to give her lover a quick kiss.

There was a short respite before Thorin was brought back down the steps and shoved into a cell of his own. "Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asked. It didn't take a mind reader to guess who 'he' was.

"He did." Thorin replied. "I told him he could go-" He finished the statement by roaring something in Khuzdul, his thunderous voice echoing through the caverns. Briar didn't understand what he said, but she could tell it was no compliment. "Well, that's it then." Balin said solemly. "That deal was our last hope."

"Not our _last_ hope." Briar said hopefully.

She opend her mouth to keep talking, but was cut short when a pair of guards opened her cell. Fili rushed forth as she was pulled out, but the guards quite literally slammed the door in his face. "What do you want with her?" The blond dwarf growled.

"The king wishes to speak with her." The guard said.

 "I'm not letting you take her!" Fili snarled.

"Fili, it's okay." Briar said, giving her lover a quick kiss on the cheek before she was pulled away and led up the stairs. Fili's calls of her name faded as she was led further up and out of the dungeon. The guards made no accomadation for her small size, all but carrying her down passages and up flights of stairs. Finally, after what seemed like ages, they reached their destination. The throne looked it like it had been made from the antlers of some sort of massive elk or moose. Briar blinked when she saw the man who must have been King Thranduil. Even though she felt a burning resentment toward him, she had to admit he wasn't half bad looking. All the same, she glared at him with eyes like gold fire.

He wore a crown in his silver hair that was woven with red autumn leaves. His silver robes were long and luxurious, and his blue eyes were cold and calculating. Briar guessed Thranduil and the elf she met in the woods earlier to be father and son. "So, little one," he began, "tell me, what's it like being the only woman in a company of men?" Briar kept her mouth closed like an iron trap.

She was not going to give anything up to him.

Thranduil seemed to sense her stubborn will.

He rose from his throne and started walking in slow circles around her.

"Your  _friend,_ Thorin, was as stubborn as he ever was," the elf king told her, "but perhaps you will be a little more compliant. I am prepared to offer you my help. All that I ask in return is that you retrieve something for me." Briar didn't say a word to him. Thranduil took her silence as an invitation to continue. "There are gems in the mountain that I desire; white gems of pure starlight. Ask your company. They will know. You give me what I want, and I will grant you my help." He waited a long moment for her to respond.

Briar glared at him through narrowed eyes and didn't say a word.

"I see..." Thranduil muttered. He clapped his hands, and a pair of elven guards took hold of Briar, carrying her away. Perhaps you'll reconsider after a little....persuasion." 


	13. Chapter 13

The dwarves now sat in gloomy silence with the realization that escape was probably not going to happen.

"I'll wager the sun is on the rise." Bofur said glumly. "Must be nearly dawn."

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori asked forlornely.

Fili was too nervous to be glum right then. He kept his gaze turning between all entryways, anxiously awaiting Briar's return.

"Not stuck in here, you're not." Bilbo said as he emerged from the shadows, revealing the ring of keys he was carrying. He waisted no time in unlocking each cell door and letting everyone out. "Bilbo, do you know where they've taken Briar?" Fili asked anxiously.

Bilbo nodded and led the way down to a lower level of the dungeons.

They came down a long corridor, lined with lit torches all along the walls. Finally, they stopped before a large iron door. The only window out was a narrow slit high up on the door. "Briar?" Fili called out.

"Fili?" Came the reply. "Is that you? Get me out of here!"

Bilbo pulled out the key ring, unlocked the door, and together, the dwarves pulled the door open. Thorin held a torch out to see. Right beneath the door, there was a sheer drop that went down to a ledge a few feet below, before it dropped again into complete darkness. The ledge was just wide enough for Briar's tiny huddled form. She was shaking like a leaf as she looked up at the dwarves with wide, pleading eyes. "Hold my legs." Fili said. Several others took hold and held on tight to lower Fili down to her. Briar reached up and took hold of Fili outstretched hands.

"Pull us up." Fili called up.

As soon as they were up and out of the cell, Briar buried her face against Fili's chest and hugged him tight, letting out a frightened whine.

Fili felt a pit of rage growing inside her. He'd never seen her this afraid.

When he learned what the elves had done to her in that cell, he would be the bane of their realm.

When Bofur started leading the way further out, Bilbo called out. "No! No! Not that way! Down here, follow me!" The dwarves mumbled in confusion before they followed Bilbo deeper into the elven halls. Bilbo lead the way down into the cellars, pausing when one of the drunken guards stirred briefly from his sleep. He motioned his companions further in. "I don't believe it! We're in the cellars!" Exclaimed Kili as loud as he dared.

"You're supposed to be leading us out, not further in!" Bofur hissed.

"I know what i'm doing!" Bilbo growled back. The company filed in to stand alongside the stack of barrels in the center of the floor.

"Everyone, quick, into the barrels!" Bilbo said.

"Are you mad?" Exclaimed Dwalin. "They'll find us!"

"No, no, they won't!" Bilbo said. "I promise you! Please, please, you must trust me!"

The dwarves looked uncertain for a moment.

Bilbo looked pleadingly to Thorin. "Do as he says." Thorin growled. They couldn't disobey an order from their leader, so the dwarves swiftly wriggled their way into the barrels. "Fili..." Briar started, looking up at her lover.

"Here, climb in with me." He coaxed.

Briar swallowed, before wriggling into the barrel alongside him.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked.

"Hold you breath." Bilbo replied.

No one got a chance to reply as the floor suddenly dipped out from under them. Briar clung tight to whatever she could hold as the world spun before her eyes. She shut her eyes tight as they plunged down into a river. When they resurfaced, she looked around. They were in an underground river cavern. Thorin grasped the ledge with both hands so that he blocked the river's current. Seconds ticked by before the hatch through which they'd fallen opened again, and Bilbo plunged into the water. He resurfaced, gasping and sputtering, and grabbed hold of Nori's barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin praised him.

He let go of the cliff edge and waved everyone on.

Fili kept one arm wrapped around Briar while he used the other to paddle.

Light flooded the passage as they came to an opening, and Briar's eyes went as wide as saucers when she spotted a small waterfall in their path. "Hold on!" Thorin roared. Briar shut her eyes again as they sped over the waterfall. Everyone was soaked to the skin as they were rushed down the river. As they rounded a corner, they heard the high-pitched blast of a horn.

Up ahead, there was a small metal gate beneath a great stone bridge.

As they watched, one of the elves stationed on that bridge pulled a lever, and the gate was cranked shut.

The barrels all clunked together in front of the closed gate.

Briar and Bilbo both looked up at the elves, waiting for them to attack. Suddenly, one of the elves fell over dead into the river, and was swiftly replaced by an orc. "Watch out!" Bofur screamed. "There's orcs!" It was less than five minutes were orcs were scaling the bridge and leaping up over the hills surrounding the river. Stuck in the confines of their barrels, the company had no choice but to fight for their lives.

Ducking beneath the blow of an orc, Briar swiftly snatched a blade from it, and used it to hack at the horrid beasts.

Briar spun her head around in time to see Kili leap out of his barrel and jump up onto the bridge.

He slashed and hacked his way up toward the lever. When one orc tried to pull an attack from behind, Briar threw her blade to kill the beast. Just as Kili reached the lever, an arrow sprouted from his leg. "KILI!!!" Fili screamed. The brunette reached for the lever, but fell back, groaning. Briar didn't waiste another second, leaping out of the barrel and up onto the bridge. It was just when she reached Kili that an orc rolled down the steps passed them, and arrow buried in it's neck. Briar and Kili both turned to look as the redheaded she-elf who had saved them from the spiders came racing toward the river.

Just as she had been in Mirkwood, she moved with incredible speed, slashing down orcs left and right.

It was only a few moments later before dozens of elves came out of the trees, raining arrows down on the orcs.

Briar shook her head and returned her attention to her current situation.

She leaped up, grabbed hold of the lever, but it didn't move. _YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!_ She screamed silently. Kili hauled himself up and grabbed hold of the lever. It bended beneath their combined weight, and the gate opened. The dwarves flowed through one by one. She took hold of Kili's arm and help slide him to the edge, where he jumped into the barrel. The arrow snapped off as he landed. Briar jumped off and into a barrel of her own. They rushed away down more waterfalls and whitewater rapids, the elves following close, raining arrows on the orcs. Briar was close to loosing all sense of direction as the barrel spun and swayed and plunged. She narrowly ducked in time to avoid an orc that came flying at her. It landed in the water instead.

When an orc leaped off of an arching log to get at Balin, Thorin threw a spear he had gotten from a slain orc, pinning the vile creature to the log. The orc dropped it's sword practically right into Thorin's hand. Thorin tossed it to Dwalin, Dwalin tossed it to Nori, and finally, Nori tossed it to Fili. When the blond dwarf's barrel came close enough to Briar's, he slashed off the orc that was clinging to it.

They passed beneath another fallen log, one that was lined with orcs.

"Cut the log!" Thorin shouted.

Several of the company hacked at the log with orc axes, causing it to collapse inward and drown the orcs.

When they came down to another low log, Bombur's barrel was tossed clean out of the water. Briar gaped for a moment as Bombur's barrel went rolling and bouncing from one bank to another, plowing down orcs in his wake. The barrel rolled farther up the bank, and they lost sight of him. He reappeared moments later as he leaped into another empty barrel.

The silver-haired elf from the woods came bounding down the slope, firing arrows at an impressive speed.

He leaped up and balanced on Dori and Dwalin's heads as he continued to fire.

In spite of herself, Briar couldn't help snickering a little.

The elf stayed put a while longer before he leaped back onto the bank and continued his barage on the orcs. Briar watched him until he was out of sight. Suddenly, a strong grip pitched her barrel backwards, and all she saw was white foam.

 

 

***

 

 

After what seemed like ages, the current slowed, and the company was able to paddle their way to shore.

Kili dropped to his knees with a groan. His arrow wound was bleeding fresh.

He pressed a cloth to it, and grimaced at the pain. He noticed Bofur's concerned look and said. "I'm fine it's nothing."

"WHERE'S BRIAR!?" Bilbo screamed. Everyone looked around to see the tiny hobbitess wasn't with them.

Fili looked hard up and down the river, then spotted a dark mass floating beneath the surface. Waisting no time, he dove in after it. He pulled the sodden figure to shore to reveal it was in fact Briar. As soon as Fili set her down, he began his CPR work. Everyone watched anxiously as they waited for the tiny woman to breathe. No response came from her still form.

After what seemed like hours, Briar's eyes flew open and a spout of water shot from her mouth.

She rolled over onto her stomach, vomiting mouthfuls of water and bile.

Once he was sure Briar was okay, Fili returned to his brother. "On your feet." Thorin growled.

"Kili's wounded. His leg needs binding." Said Fili.

"There's an orc pack on our tail." Thorin countered. "We keep moving."

"To where?" Balin said exasperatedly. Briar nodded her thanks when Dwalin gently lifted her up and helped her find her feet. "To the mountain." Said Bilbo. "We're so close."

"A lake lies between us and that mountain." Balin told him. "We have no way to cross it."

"So then, we go around." Bilbo suggested.

"The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight." Dwalin growled. "We have no weapons to defend ourselves."

"Bind his leg, quickly." Thorin said. "You have two minutes."

Many of the company gathered close to Briar, asking if she was okay and if there was something they could do for her. She waved them all off, saying she was just fine and didn't need any help. Suddenly, the feeling of being watched grew much stronger. Everyone looked up to see the shadow of a human man standing before them, arrow drawn and ready to fire. When Dwalin stepped between him and Ori, the man fired an arrow, smacking the branch out of Dwalin's hands. Quick as a serpent, he fired a second arrow, knocking the stone that Kili was about to throw right out of his hand.

"Do it again," the stranger growled, "And your dead."

There was a brief pause before Balin said. "Excuse me, but you're from Lake Town, if i'm not mistaken. That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

 

 

"What makes you think I would help you?" The man asked as he rolled the barrels onto the barge.

"Those boots have seen better days," said Balin, "as has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many beards?"

"A boy and two girls." The stranger replied.

"And you're wife, I imagine she's a beauty." Balin complimented. The man paused for a moment before he said. "Aye...she was." Balin's smile dissapeared as he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, come on, come on, enough with the nicities." Dwalin grumbled.

"What's your hurry?" The bargeman asked.

"What's it to you?" Dwalin retorted.

"I'd like to know who you are, and what you are doing in these lands." The man replied.

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains, journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin said to him.

"'simple merchants', you say." The bargeman said as he rolled the last barrel onto the barge.

"We need food, supplies, weapons." Thorin said. "Can you help us?"

The bargeman gave them an unreadable look. "I know where these barrels came from." He stated.

"What of it?" Thorin asked.

"I don't know what business you had with the elves," the stranger said, "but I don't think it ended well. No one enters Laketown but by leave of the master. All his wealth comes from trade with the woodland realm. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." With a smirk, he tossed the rope tying down the barge at Balin.

"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen." Balin estimated.

"Aye." The lakeman replied. "But for that, you would need a smuggler."

"For which we would pay double."  


	14. Chapter 14

A fog had settled over the lake as they moved inward.

Briar sat with her legs drawn up and her chin resting on her knees, curling herself into a little ball. "Briar." Fili murmured as he sat down next to her. "You're hiding something. I know it."

"Nothing ever slips beneath your nose, does it?" Briar replied, giving him a weak smile.

"Briar, what happened to you in that cell?" The blond prince asked.

Briar's response was cut short as huge, towering collumns of stone materialized out of the fog. "Watch out!" Cried Bofur. the lakeman steered the barge through the collumns with ease.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin growled.

"I was born and bred on these waters, master dwarf." The bargeman replied. "If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here."

"I've had enough of this limpy lakeman." Dwalin grumbled. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with him."

"Oh, Bard, his name's Bard." Bilbo scolded.

"How do you know?" Dwalin asked.

"I uh..I asked him." Bilbo replied.

"I don't care what he calls himself." Dwalin snarled. "I don't like him."

"We don't have to like him." Balin said. "We simply have to pay him. Come on now, lads. Turn out your pockets." The dwarves grumbled as they gave up their coins. As they passed farther and farther into the mist, Briar cast her gaze up to the sky, watching the swirling patterns of white and blue. She was the first to see it.

"Uh...there seems to be a problem." Balin said as he counted up the stacks. "We're ten coins short."

"Gloin." Thorin said. "Come on, give us what you have."

"Don't look at me!" Gloin exclaimed. "I have been _bled dry_ by this venture! And what do I have to show for it? Naught but misery, and grief, and..." He trailed off as everyone stood and looked in the same direction Briar was facing. Off in the distance, the Lonely Mountain loomed like a towering monument, covered in a cloak of white snow. "Bless my beard..." Gloin exclaimed. "Take it! Take all of it!"

He tossed his pack of coins over to Balin.

Briar stared in wonder at the mountain ahead.

"Stunning, isn't it?" Thorin murmured at her side.

Briar nodded wordlessly.

Everyone stared for a while longer before Bard came down towards them from the rudder. "The money. Give it to me, quickly." He said.

"You'll get the money when we get our provisions," Thorin told him, "not before."

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say." Bard told them.

Balin and Thorin exchanged a long look before Balin nodded and handed Bard the money. "Climb in the barrels." He said. The company quickly obeyed and hid themselves inside. Briar listened closely to see if she could hear anything. She froze when the barge came to a stop. "Pappa, can you see him?" She whispered as loud as she dared. "What's he doing?"

"He's talking to someone." Bilbo said. "And he's-pointing right at us!...Now they're shaking hands."

"The devil!" Dwalin snarled. "He's sold us out!"

There was the sound of something cranking above them, and a few moments later, each memeber of the company became buried under a pile of raw fish. Briar fought back the urge to retch. The dwarves were grumbling and groaning as the barge started moving again. "Quiet!" Bard hissed, giving the neerest barrel a kick. "We're approaching the toll gate."

Briar listened closely to the conversation going on.

"Halt!" Someone called. "Goods inspection! Papers please! Oh, it's you Bard."

"Hello Percy." Bard replied. there was the solid clunk of Bard walking off the barge.

"Anything to report?" Percy asked.

"Not much." Bard replied. "except that I am cold, tired, and ready for home."

"You and me both." Percy replied. There was a moment of silence before Percy said. "There we are. All in order."

"Not. So. Fast." Said someone new. "Consignment of empty barrels from the woodland realm. Only, they're not empty, are they Bard?" Briar swallowed, her heart hammering like a war drum. Had they been found out? "If I recall correctly," The stranger continued, "you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

"That's none of your business." Bard growled.

"No." The stranger replied. "It's the master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh, have a heart, Alfred. People need to eat!" exclaimed Bard.

"These fish are illegal." Said Alfred. "Empty the barrels over the sides."

Briar's eyes went as wide as saucers when she felt her barrel being moved and tipped over. "Folk in this town are struggling." Bard said. "Times are hard. Food is scarce."

"That's not my problem." Alfred told him.

"And when people hear the master is dumping fish back in the lake?" Bard asked. "When the rioting starts? Will it be your problem then?" There was a brief pause, filled with the sound of splashing fish, before Alfred said. "Stop." Briar breathed a quiet sigh of relief and silently blessed Bard for his quick thinking. "Ever the peoples' champion, eh Bard?" Alfred sneered. "You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last."

There was the sound of someone walking away, and Percy hollered. "Raise the gate!"

As the barge continued to move, Briar heard Alfred holler. "The master has his eye on you! You'd do well to remember; we know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfred." Bard replied. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

It seemed like ages before the barrels were finally pitched over and the dwarves tumbled out. Immediately, Briar scrambled over to the edge and heaved the contents of her stomach into the water. Bofur held her hair out of her face and gently rubbed and patted her back. When the heaving had reduced to heavy breathing, she stood up and joined the rest of the company on the docks.

"Follow me." Bard said.

He led them through a maze of narrow alleys and docks and waterways, doing his best to avoid the major crowds. When he went to go between two houses, a boy that looked to be in his mid teenage years came running up. "Da!" He exclaimed. "Our house, it's being watched."

It was then that bard suggested a plan that nobody was very fond of. But considering their current situation, they didn't have much of a choice.


	15. Chapter 15

Briar, grimacing in disgust, accepted Bain's offered hand as he help her up out of the toilet.

She followed closely behind the rest of the company, still coming to terms with the fact that she had just climbed through a toilet. A _toilet!_ "Da, why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" Asked Sigrid.

"Will they bring us luck?" Tilda asked.

Briar couldn't stifle a small snort of laughter.

Bard asked Tilda to fetch some fresh clothes. As the little girl passed them around, Bard said. "They may not be the best fit, but they'll keep you warm." Briar thanked Tilda as she was handed some of the little girl's clothes. They were a bit big, but they would do for the time being. She walked over to where Bilbo sat near Thorin, and noticed the dwarf king staring out the window. She peared past him and followed his gaze to a high tower, to what looked like massive crossbow to her. "A Dwarvish Windlance." Thorin whispered.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Bilbo commented.

"He has." Balin said. "The last time we saw such a weapon....a city was on fire." Briar lowered her gaze to the floor as Balin told of the old city. "It was the day the dragon came. The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the lord of the city, rallied his bowmen and fired on the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow fired from a Windlance could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made. His store was running low when Girion made his last stand."

Briar looked up at Thorin and laid a hand on the thick of his arm.

"Had the aim of men been true that day..." Thorin murmured, "much would have been different."

The dwarves and hobbits looked up as Bard and Bain stood in front of them.

"You speak as if you were there." Bard commented.

"All dwarves know the tale." Thorin replied.

"Then you would know that when Girion hit the dragon," Bain said, "he loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast." Dwalin chuckled and told him. "That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more."

"You took our money." Thorin said, stepping up to Bard. "Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here." Bard responded.

As he walked down the steps, Balin, Thorin, Fili and Kili stood together in quiet conversation.

Briar took a seat at the table, tracing the lines of the wood with one finger.

"Briar." Bilbo said, taking a seat next to her. "I know something happened to you in that cell. Tell me what happened."

"I..." Briar squeaked softly.

"It's okay." Bilbo said, gently rubbing her back. "Just take all the time you need, and tell me."

Briar took a deep breath, and looked up int her father's eyes. "When they put me in there....immediately I felt this fear. This cold, icy terror. Pappa, i've never been so scared in my life. There was something down in that cell....it was too dark for me to see what it was, but I know there was something down there, and it drove me absolutely stark-raving mad with terror."

Bilbo drew his daughter close to him, enfolding her in his arms.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Bard returned, a long bundle wrapped in dark brown leather tucked under one arm. He set it on the table and unwrapped it to reveal a pile of weaponry inside. The dwarves each took hold of a weapon to try it out. "What is this?" Thorin asked.

"A pike hook, made from an old harpoon." Bard replied.

"And this?" Kili inquired.

"A crowbill, we call it," Bard responded, "fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defence of your life, these will serve you better than none."

"We payed you for _weapons._ Iron-forged swords and axes!" Gloin snarled.

"It's a joke!" exclaimed Bofur. One by one, the dwarves tossed the weapons back onto the table. Briar gaped at them. "You won't find better outside the city armory." Bard told them. "All iron-forged weapons are held down under lock and key."

"Thorin," said Balin, "why not take this offer and go? I've made do with less, so have you. I say we leave now."

"You're not going anywhere." Bard commanded.

"What did you say?" Dwalin snapped.

"There are spies watching this house, and probably every dock and gate in the town. You must wait till nightfall." The dwarves groaned as they slid into their seats. When Briar noticed Kili leaning on a tall walking stick, she slipped quietly over to him. "Kili?" She whispered.

"I'm fine." He said. "Don't worry."

"No, you're not fine." Briar told him sharply. "If you were fine, you wouldn't be leaning on a walking stick."

"I'm _fine,_ Briar." Kili said insistently.

Briar gave him a dark look that clearly said _this isn't over,_ before she walked back over to sit beside Bilbo. It was as the sun was setting in the sky that Thorin said. "Alright, let's get moving."

"Wait! Where are you going?" Exclaimed Bain.

"To get some weapons." Dwalin growled back.

"Y-You can't leave now!" Bain protested. The dwarves ignored him as they filed their way out of the house. "Bilbo, Briar, come!" Thorin barked. Father and daughter exchanged a hard look before they got up and followed the dwarves out. Briar and Bilbo kept close as the dwarves weaved their way through the city. It felt like hours before they finally found the armory.

Just as Bard said, all the doors were sealed tight.

Briar tilted her head up, trying to estimate just how to climb in.

"That window is small enough for me to climb through." She said softly. "If one of you can give me a boost up, I think I can get in." Thorin nodded and climbed up the towering stack of crates and barrels. Thorin was tall enough that if Briar stood on his shoulders, she would be able to haul herself up through the window. Thorin hoisted the little hobbit up easily and held her steady as she balanced on his shoulders. "Steady." He coaxed her. "I got you." Briar took a deep breath, then grabbed hold of the windowsill.

As she pulled herself up and through, she carefully felt forward into the darkness. There was a shelf directly beneath the window. Sliding slowly in, she sat on the shelf for a few moments and waited as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. She shimmied her way carefully down to the floor, as swift and quiet as she could be. When she reached the floor, she found herself a long, thin needle that would serve perfectly as a lockpick. She hadn't spent all that time with the rangers without picking up a few tricks. Slipping quietly over to the door, she felt around until she gripped the lock. It took her about five minutes to get it open. The dwarves quietly praised her-especially Nori-, before they slipped inside to pick out their choice weapons. The only weapons Briar could find that were small enough for her were a few knives of various sizes, but they worked just as well.

A few of the dwarves had taken armfuls of weapons to carry with them.

As Kili was going down the steps, his injured leg suddenly gave out from under him, and the weapons he was carrying when clattering and banging to the floor. Everyone froze, hardly daring to breathe. With the level of noise he had made, Briar wouldn't be surprised if he had woken up the entire town. "We need to go. Now!" Thorin hissed.

Everyone jogged downstairs and raced out into the dark.

They didn't get five feet before they were seized by the town guard.

They struggled and kicked and cursed, but it was a useless effort as they were led further and further into the town.

As they walked, Briar noticed people flooding from their homes to see what all the fuss was about, and staring at the company as if they were aliens. _So much for laying low._ Briar thought sourly.

As they were led into the town square, the doors of the townhouse burst open and two men came through-two men who were probably the most hideous things Briar ever laid eyes on. One of them was a fat man with scraggly, narly ginger hair and an obsurd ginger gaotee. The piercing stare of his pig-like eyes was unnerving. The second man's unibrow, wide, bulging eyes, and beak-like nose covered in zits was rather comical. "What is the meaning of this?" The ginger-haired man demanded.

"Caught them stealing weapons, sire." Said the captain of the guard.

"Ah," replied the man who Briar now took to be the master of Laketown. "Enemies of the state."

"a desperate bunch of mercinaries if ever there was one, sire." Said the second man. Briar recognized his voice from earlier, and was now able to put a face to the name Alfred.

"You hold your tongue." Dwalin snarled. "You know not to whome you speak." As Thorin stepped forward, the bald dwarf said. "This is no common criminal. This is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!" The people were murmuring excitedly at the revelation of Thorin's identity. "We are the dwarves of Erebor." The prince proclaimed. "We have come to take back out homeland."

Thorin stepped forth to the base of the stairs as he continued. "I remember this town in the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbor, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake; this was the center of trade in the north! I would see those great days restored, relight the forges of the dwarves, and send gold and gems flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

Everyone was cheering when Bard pushed his way to the front.

At the sight of him, everyone grew silent. "If you awaken that beast," He said fiercely, "You will destroy us all."

"You can listen to this naye-sayer," Thorin said, "but I promise you this; if we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain." The people started cheering at Thorin's words, and he shouted. "You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth _ten times over!"_ The crowd roared it's aproval.

"All of you!" Bard shouted, quieting the cheers. "Listen! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?" The crowd murmured in uncertainty now. "Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm? And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain king, so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!" Bard stalked up to Thorin and snarled. "You have no right, _no right,_ to enter that mountain."

"I have the only right." Thorin responded.

Thorin and Bard glared at each other for a long moment, before Thorin turned around to face the master and said. "I speak to the master of the men of the lake; will you see the prophecy fullfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?" For a long while, everyone watched anxiously, waiting for the master's response. Briar grimaced as his beady little eyes roamed over the entire crowd. "What say you?" Thorin asked.

"I say untue you...." Said the master. "welcome!"

The people cheered for the master's decision.

All except Bard.

"Welcome, and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!" The master declared.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

The dwarves moved Kili onto the closest bed, while Briar rushed over, and under Oin's instruction, began to dig for herbs Through the cabinets. Kili was groaning, panting, and gasping on the bed. "What sorts of herbs do you have?" Oin called out to Bard.

"Let's see, uhh..." Bard said as he shuffled through bags and bottles. "Bloodroot, wolfsbane..."

"None of those! We need to bring his fever down!" Oin shouted. "Do you have any Kingsfoil?"

"Kingsfoil?" Bard echoed. "That's a weed. We feed it to the pigs."

Briar's head shot up at this. She had spent enough time gardening with her father to know what Kingsfoil looked like and smelled like. As Bofur made for the door, Briar shouted. "No! I'm faster! I'll go!" Without another word, she tore out of the house and raced away down the wooden walkways as fast as her little legs would carry her. She went flying across the docks, checking out every plant she could find.

There was one that had a similar appearence, but the smell was different.

It looked like the only place to find it would be in the pig pens.

As she came up, she saw a huge black and white sow munching on a plant.

She ripped a stock of it off, and silently thanked Yavanna that it was indeed Kingsfoil.

Turning on her heels, she raced back the way she had come.

As she drew close to the house, she just barely leaped out of the way in time when an orc came crashing down onto the bridge. The fall caused her to drop the plant. She attempted to scramble away from the thing, but it seized her by her ankles and tossed her into a stack of boxes. She then proceeded to fall head over heels down to the water's edge. The hard strike to her head caused her to black out for a brief time, but when she woke up, the orc was laying dead with an arrow jutting from his back.

Waisting no time, she scrambled to her feet and seized the Kingsfoil.

As she came racing up the steps, She stopped in time to avoid running into the redheaded elven woman from Mirkwood. "Athelas." She exclaimed quietly, taking the plant from Briar. "Athelas...."

"What are you doing?" Briar asked.

"I'm going to save him." The elf replied.

Without another word, she rushed inside. Briar followed her, and stood stumped for a moment as she saw the house in complete dissarray, the bodies of orcs all over the floor. How long was she gone? Kili was now howling in pain as his kinsmen lifted him and set him on a small table. As they did this, the elf stripped the plant of it's leaves, grinding them into a paist. "Hold him down." She told the dwarves.

Despite the little good it would do, Briar came over to help hold Kili still.

The elf set the bowl down, then seized Kili's leg and peeled back the cut fabric of his pants. Just above his knee, the arrow wound was already festering and black. The elf turned her gaze to Fili. The blond prince gave her a long look, silently telling her to proceed. As the elf took the paist in her hands, she started chanting in her native tongue. As she pressed the salve against the wound, Kili threw his head back and howled.

Sigrid and Tilda rushed forth to help hold him down.

The elf continued her chant.

As she spoke, Kili's struggles gradually started to lessen.

His cries slowly died down.

After what seemed like a quite a while, Kili gradually fell still, his breathing long and steady now.

Slowly, everyone released their grip on him.

As they all stepped away, the elf started to bind Kili's leg. Briar stayed close by. Her sharp ears picked up Oin saying. "I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was a privelege to witness."

"Tauriel..." Kili said weakly.

"Lay still." Tauriel coaxed him, smiling warmly.

"You cannot be her...." Kili murmured. "She....she is far away....she is far, far away from me...she walks in starlight, in another world....it was just a dream." As Briar watched, Kili slowly took Tauriel's hand in his. "Do you think she could have loved me?" He murmured.

Briar swallowed as tears pooled in her eyes.

Once Tauriel stepped away, Briar walked up to him.

She smiled at him, and he grinned weakly.

"'I'm okay', he says. 'It's nothing' he says." She teased him. He gave a soft chuckle. When he saw her tears, he brought a hand up to cup her cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb. "What's this for?" He asked.

"It's nothing." Briar said softly.

"Come on, talk to me." He said in a sing-song voice, poking her in the hip.

"I guess..." Briar paused as her voice cracked. "I guess I was just...I was scared that...that you were-"

Kili 'aww'ed, then said "Come 'ere." as he gently tugged her closer. She swallowed again as she leaned down to hug him, sniffling and pressing her face into his hair as she let these brief tears come out. "I'm not going anywhere." Kili whispered into her curls. They stayed that way until Briar's tears stopped.

The two of them smiled at each other.

"Little princesses shouldn't cry." He teased her, and gave one of her braids a playful tug.

Briar giggled, and gently set his hand back down.

"I think someone might be getting a bit jealous." Kili said, pointing.

Briar looked where he was pointing to see Fili gazing at them with a lazy smile on his face. Briar walked over to him, and he enclosed her in a great bear hug. "You, little miss, are truely amazing." He said to her.

"Oh, i'm not that amazing." She murmured.

"Yes. Yes, you are." Fili said. "You survived being crushed by trolls, nearly eaten by wargs, stood up to Azog the Defiler, for Mahal's sake, kept your sanity in the woodland realm dungeons, survived a near drowning, and now, you brought the Kingsfoil here in time to save my brother's life."

"Tauriel was the one who healed Kili. Not me." Briar insisted.

"If you hadn't gotten the plant here when you did, then Tauriel wouldn't have been able to do that." Fili countered. He held her close to him, and she inhaled the scent that clung to his jacket, taking immense comfort in his warmth. "Briar Baggins, I love you." Fili murmured. "I love you more than words can describe."

"Fili-" She said.

"Let me finish." He said. "You truely are an amazing creature, Briar. You have held your own against so much. You are everything I ever wanted in a woman. I look forward to being able to spend my life with you..." He paused when she chuckled softly. "What?"

"I was just trying to imagine myself in a white silk dress." Briar commented, grinning from ear to ear.

Fili chuckled and told her. "I have no doubt that you will be the most beautiful bride the Lonely Mountain has ever seen."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Briar teased him.

They both laughed, and Briar tilted her head up to look him in the eye.

 _Yavanna, why does he have to be so damn cute?_   She thought. He brought his hand to the back of her head, and they leaned in close to kiss. She felt she would never get enough of his kisses. So hot, so passionate.

They broke the kiss to hug.

Briar felt as though she could have stayed that way forever.

"I love you, miss hobbit." Fili murmured.

"And I love you, my big oaf of a dwarf." She teased him, and laughed when the blond prince pretended to look offended. The entire house trembling made everyone freeze. Dust fell down from the rooftop. Everyone stood in an intense silence for a few moments.

Briar slipped out of Fili's grip and stepped outside to the balcony.

Shimmying up onto the roof, she balanced carefully, and squinted against the darkness, looking toward the mountain. What she saw made her blood turn to ice.

That serpentine neck, those massive wings, that long, waving tail.

Smaug was flying right toward Lake Town.

As she stared with wide eyes, she said the only thing that came to her mind.

"Holy shit." 


	17. Chapter 17

Without waisting any time, Briar scurried down off the roof and into the house.

"It's Smaug!" She exclaimed. "He's awake! He's flying right toward Lake Town!"

"WHAT!?" Shouted Tilda and Sigrid together.

"We have to get out of here!" Briar said, and motioned to Bofur, Fili and Oin as she added. "All together, can you three carry Kili out of Lake Town?"

The three dwarves looked at each other and nodded.

They counted to three, then lifted their ailing kin up off the bed.

"Tauriel," Briar continued, "there's liable to be more orcs running amuck in the town. If so, then we're going to need your archery skills." The fire-haired elf nodded, retrieving her bow and quiver. "Sigrid, Tilda, Baine, stay close, okay?" Briar added. Bard's three children nodded. As they came out of the house, Briar said. "Baine, you know the fastest way to the bridge. Lead on." Baine nodded and took the lead.

Tauriel jogged in circles around them, an arrow drawn and ready to fire.

Sigrid and Tilda stayed close to the dwarves.

It asn't long before they heard a sound like a hurricane drawing closer and closer. They didn't break stride for a moment. When they joined the flow of people flooding out of Lake Town, they grabbed hold of each other, so as not to lose one another in the chaos.

It was as the people were flooding out toward the main bridge that a firestorm erupted.

It engulfed Lake Town within moments.

Everything became a hurricane of blazing fire and piercing screams.

Suddenly, the bridge collapsed right under Briar's feet, and she pluged into the water. She silently thanked the Valar that she had taken the time to learn to swim in the lake at Bag-End. She had absolutely no sense of direction anymore as she swam around falling debris.

When she saw bodies in the water, she felt as though she might be sick.

She started kicking her way to the surface.

When she came up for breath, her eyes went as wide as saucers when she saw Smaug plummet out of the sky and into the lake. A black arrow was protruding from beneath his left wing-the same spot that Girion had fired upon all those ages ago. "So...the legend was true." She whispered.

Smaug's crash created a massive wave that plunged her back beneath the water.

She was struggling to get back up to the surface when a strong hand took hold of her and pulled her up. She coughed and gasped and sputtered, and found herself to be sitting in a boat-with Bard, paddling the boat to shore. "You're alright, my friend." Bard said, smiling warmly. Still coughing, Briar nodded her thanks.

"My children, are they safe?" Bard asked.

"Yes." Briar told him. "We got them out in time."

Bard sighed with relief as he steered the boat to shore.

As he paddled, Briar said suddenly. "The black arrow...that was you?"

Bard nodded.

Briar didn't have time to ask him anything else as they reached the shore, where the people of Lake Town were huddled. The townspeople must have heard who it was that shot the black arrow, for they recieved a hero's welcome. As Briar scrambled out of the boat, she was immediately swept up into the arms of a laughing Bofur. "We thought we'd lost you lass!" He exclaimed.

"Oh? Trying to get rid of me already?" Briar teased, giving the hatted dwarf the fakest sad look ever. Bofur threw back his head and howled in laughter. As he set her down, Kili hobbled over, mostly supported by his big brother. They smiled at each other, and Briar hugged the brunett dwarf. "How's your leg?" she asked.

"Better." Kili replied. "Definetly better. But enough about me. I believe someone else is craving your company." The two brothers grinned at each other, and Fili helped Kili to sit down before he took his lover up in his arms. "I thought you said you wouldn't scare me like that again." He whispered in her ear.

"And I thought I told you, i'm not going anywhere." She teased back.

They gazed at each other for a long while, before he pulled her close and they kissed.

There was a mass of cheering and hoots and whistles all around as they kissed. They broke their kiss when someone called out. "Bard! Lord of Dale!"

"Hale to Bard!" Hollered another person. This started up a chant of Bard's name. Briar smiled warmly at the bargeman, who stood with his children in his arms. Even though Bard knew full well he was Girion's desendant, he still looked a little startled by this sudden turn of events.

"Bard!!!" The crowd parted to reveal the Master. "You! You dare to challenge me! You! You brought the dragon down upon us!"

"Like hell, he did!" Briar shouted. All eyes turned to her. She stomped up and looked the Master right in the eye as she shouted. "You don't care at all for these people! You care nothing for their welfare, only of your own social status!" There were murmurs spreading through the crowd as Briar continued to rant at him. "You are selfish, greedy, and just plain disgusting! By the Valar, how can you live with yourself!? You care nothing for the restoration of Erebor, Esgaroth, or Dale! You only care about lining your own pockets! Now him," Briar pointed at Bard, "he deserves to lead these people! He cares for those in his charge! He looks beyond his own nose! He's the true leader of these people! _Not you!"_ The crowd was now cheering in agreement with the tiny hobbitess.

Briar and the master were glaring at each other.

The master stank all over of wine and weed, and Briar had to fight the urge to wretch.

She stood ready, ready to face anything he could throw at her.

Just when the master took a step forward, Bard stepped forth as well, putting himself between the pig-eyed man and the hobbit. "Get. Out." The bargeman snarled. "You are no longer a citizen of Lake Town. Leave now, and I will let you live." The two men dueled with their eyes for a long while, before the now former Master nodded slowly and turned to leave. "M-My Lord," Said Alfred, "I hope you bear me no ill will."

Briar grimaced at him in disgust.

"None except this, Alfred." Bard said. "You are to join your Master in banishment from this day until the end of your days." Alfred stared in shock at Bard for quite a long moment, before he slunked away. The people cheered as the two men dissapeared from sight.

Bard smiled down at Briar in thanks.

"Aye, the lass may be small, but she has a heart as strong as an ouliphont's, and twice as big!" Bofur stated proudly.

"Here, here!" The other dwarves added.

 

 

 

***

 

 

The townspeople all slept in what creud shelters they could create from the sparse materials they could find. The dwarves refused to let Briar out of their sight. It started out rather endearing, but it turned annoying rather quickly. It was the morning after Smaug's attack that the elves rode in from the woods.

Bard explained their situation to Thranduil, and the elvenking agreed to asist the stranded people. Elves and men roamed amongst one another like they were one and the same.

Briar held a deep suspicion about Thranduil's kindness.

She was sure he was going to demand something in return.

She as as sure of that as she was sure the moon would rise that night.

All this time, their splinter group was wondering what was happening inside the mountain.

Were their kinsmen alive?

Had they been burned to ash already?

Every day, Briar felt a deep twisting fear for her father.

it was on the third dawn after Smaug's attack that it happened.

The splinter group was asleep in their small tent.

Briar was curled up beside Bofur. Her eyes snapped open when a gag was swiftly tied over her mouth. Faster than any of the dwarves could react, the small group was bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Briar kicked and fought, but it was a futile effort. The elf holding her tossed her up onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

One by one, the kicking and cursing dwarves and the tiny hobbit were carried away into the dark.   


	18. Chapter 18

Briar didn't stop kicking and struggling as the elves carried her further and further in. She was blindfolded and gagged, but her ears weren't covered. Judging by the way her captors' footsteps echoed, and the crackling and hissing of fire bounced around, she guessed they were bringing her into a tunnel of some sorts. When the blindfold and gag were taken off, she found she was right; they had taken her down into a dungeon of some sorts. She guessed that these must have been somewhere in the ruins of Esgaroth or Dale.

She was ruffly tossed into one of the cells.

She rushed up as the door was slammed shut and locked.

She screamed and cursed at the retreating elves, bashing at the cell door. but it did her no good. One by one, the torches were snuffed out, and she was left in complete and total blackness. she took a few minutes to relax and breathe. Her eyes were now useless in the blackness, so she relied on her senses of hearing, smell and touch to tell her what was going on. The only time any of the elves came down was to give her a scant meal.

They did this in an irregular pattern, so it became damn near impossible for Briar to tell time.

The days blurred together.

She wondered if Bard noticed the absense of of four dwarves and a hobbit.

She wondered if he was starting to ask questions.

She imagined Fili was in a rage fitting a wild animal, demanding to know what the elves had done with her. every time an elf came down to bring her her meal of bread and water, she asked what was going on. But the elf never answered, only slid the tray inside and dissapeared back down the corridor.

On what she later learned was the seventh day of her imprisonment, Briar was jerked out of a doze by the sound of clanging metal.

She stepped up to the cell door, and strained her ears to listen.

There was the distinctive sound of weapons clashing and men grunting and shouting.

There was another down as well; a hollow growling noise. she took a big sniff, and felt her blood grow cold at the sour smell that hit her nose. She knew that smell. She scrambled backwards, pressing herself as flat against the wall as possible. _Don't let them see me,_ She prayed silently, _Don't let them see me, Yavanna, please don't let them see me!_ There was the sound of boots on stone, and a deep, throaty snarl. Briar held her breath and shut her eyes. She silently cursed her misfortune when torchlight flickered across her eyelids.

The orcs were snarling and barking at each other in the Black Speech.

 _I'm invisible._ She silently pleaded. _You can't see me. I'm not here. Turn around and go away._

It happened so fast, all she could do was scream.

The cell door was torn open. Several clammy, claw-like hands grabbed her, lifting her off her feet. She kicked and fought and screamed until a sack was tied over her head and she was bound hand and foot. When she refused to stop struggling, something hard hit her in the head, and everything went black.

 

 

***

 

 

Briar was woken by a hard kick to her gut.

The sack was taken off her head.

She was in the middle of an orc camp, inside a massive cave. She had no idea how far she was from the mountain. This was a thousand times worse than being a prisoner of the elves. She was sitting at the feet of none other than the Defiler himself. The Pale Orc was grinning evilly down at her, his hand stroking the head of the white warg at his side. She looked around at the gathered crowd of orcs, and swallowed hard.

She could imagine some of the things that these creatures wanted to do to her. All of them made her positively sick with fear. She returned her gaze to Azog as he bent down and took one of her braids in his hand, fiddling with it. His grin only spread wider when he saw the bead at the end of the braid; one of Fili's beads.

In the Black Speech, he said. "It seems the little rat is the mate of one of Oakenshield's nephews." There were curious murmurs among the rest of the orcs when their leader said this. Then, in the common tongue, Azog said. "A pretty little thing." His hand moved to cup her cheek. "I almost regret what I have planned for you.... _almost."_  Without warning, his metal claw tore open her vest and shirt.

Briar scrambled backwards, turning her back to the crowd in an attempt to hide herself.

The orcs crowed in their eagerness to get at her.

But they wouldn't move until Azog said they could.

 The Pale Orc rose from his seat and stalked over to her. With every step he took forward, Briar scrambled backwards, untill she was pressed back against the wall of the cave.

He was easily twice the size of Thorin, towering over the tiny hobbit.

Just now, she noticed the post sitting near the massive pitfire.

The hair on the back of her neck rose as Azog growled. "We have to keep her alive, but that doesn't mean we can't make a few....changes."

 

 

***

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated anything in a while. I have been extremely busy. Thanks for being so patient.

Battle.

Pure chaos everywhere.

That was all Fili was aware of at the moment. The rage of battle. Blood roared in his ears. Every muscle, every sinew in his body felt supercharged with adrenaline. He howled a battle cry as he mowed down orcs with his twin swords. With his brother beside him, raining arrows down on their enemy, he felt invincible. He cried out as an orc blade slashed at his thigh, but he soon returned the favor by driving his sword into the orc's heart. A shout from his brother drew his attention in time to see an orc archer, arrow drawn and aimed right at him. Fili threw himself backwards just in time, and the arrow sailed within a hair's breadth of his face. Almost the instant his brother hit the ground, Kili had an arrow of his own drawn, and shot the orc in the eye.

Another cry drew his attention as he saw his uncle, roaring like a bear as he charged into the thick of the fight.

His nephews rushed to his side, and together, they were like a whirlwind of flashing steel and flying arrows.

A snarl made all three of them freeze, and they looked up into the eyes of none other than the Defiler himself.

With his spiked mace in hand, Azog released a thunderous war cry.

Thorin answered with a battle cry of his own, and charged the monster, his sword raised and ready to strike. As Azog parlayed the blow, Fili rushed forth to join the fight, only to be knocked off his feet when the white warg tackled him. The two of them tumbled head-over-heels off the edge of a cliff. The monster's claws tore at him, shrieking against metal and ripping through leather and wool.

Fili pushed up against it's head and chest, trying to keep it's snapping, slavering jaws away from his neck and face.

This monster was the size of a horse, powerful and fast. If Fili slackened his fight, even the tiniest bit, the beast would tear his throat out in mere moments. He was now screaming with the effort of pushing it off.

Suddenly, the warg yelped as an arrow protruded from the base of his neck.

Taking this chance, Fili rolled it over, took up the nearest blade he could grab, and stabbed it repeatedly in the chest. He looked up and smiled thanks to his brother. The two of them searched frantically for any sign of their uncle until they finally spotted him, still facing down the pale orc on the edge of the fight. The two of them scrambled to their feet and rushed to his side.

Azog was grinning evilly at them. "I must say," He said in the common tongue, "I thought you cared about your little pet." This made the dwarves pause.

"What are you talking about?" Thorin growled.

Azog chuckled and told them. "I admit I had great fun in making her scream. The boys made her crumble fairly quickly. But even after I handed her over to them, she never breathed a word about your plans. She's tougher than she looks."

"Where is she?" Fili snarled in an icy voice.

"She was convinced you were going to come rescue her," Azog sneered, "but of course, you never came."

With a thunderous howl of rage, Fili charged forth, tackling the much larger orc to the ground. He pressed a boot down on the orc's neck, and held the point of his sword just under Azog's chin. "Where. Is. Briar!?" He roared. Azog merely snickered, and mumbled something in the Black Speech. That was the snapping point for Fili, and he proceeded to slam the hilt of his sword against Azog's face, again and again and again, until the orcs face was reduced to a bloody pulp. Fili rose to his feet, still seething in rage, thinking he hadn't made the wretched creature's death painful enough.

 

 

***

 

As soon as the battle was over, Thorin ordered a search party to go and find the missing hobbit.

Bilbo had been found unconscious and bloody at the edge of the battlefield. As soon as he learned of what became of his daughter, he stubbornly insisted on joining the search party. The dwarves tried several times, unsuccessfully, to return the hobbit to bed, until they finally gave up and let him come. Fili and Kili led the search party themselves.

Accompanied by the currently most fit warriors they could find, the search party rode out on horseback toward the woods. That was the most likely place that the orcs would hide a hostage.

Fear for his future wife lent Fili the extra energy he needed.

When it seemed that had upturned every rock, and combed through every plant for several miles, Fili picked up the smell of ash. Motioning to Kili and the others to stay quiet, Fili crept forward, following his nose, until he discovered the hidden mouth of a cavern. The group waited for a few moments, listening for any signs of anything else in the cave, but it was pitch black and silent.

As they entered the cave, a couple of the scouts lit torches, flooding the cave with light.

As they stepped slowly in, another, much more rancid odor overpowered the smell of ash: the smell of blood. Slowly, the light of the torches illuminated blood patches on the floor, before lighting up something much more terrible; A flogging post...and the figure tied to it. A mantra of _no_ and  _not her_ pounded in Fili's brain as he rushed over.

But as he fell to his knees, he found it was indeed her.

The blond dwarf tossed his head back and let out a bone-chilling howl, one that echoed out of the cave and through the trees for all to hear. With shaking hands, he took out a knife and cut at the rope bonds. "Briar..." he said hoarsely, taking her face in his hands, pushing tangled brown locks away. "Please, Briar...." he pleaded hoarsely. Gently, he rolled her onto her back. She was naked from the waist up, and only wearing thin undergarments for pants. Fili shifted his body so he was blocking the view the scouts had of her.

Her entire upper body was covered in bites and gashes, and the souls of her feet had been deeply slashed as well. Her broken nose was black with dried blood, and another trickle ran down from the corner of her mouth. Her back was raw and bloody from a brutal flogging. Fili pressed his ear to her chest, and felt himself go weak with relief as he heard her heart. It was faint, but it was something. 

Wrapping her up in his jacket, he lifted her up.

As he raced back out to his pony, he barked an order at the scouts, and they all followed.

Fili rode back toward the mountain as fast as his pony could carry him, silently praying to Mahal that he hadn't found her too late. As soon as he came within earshot of the camps, he started calling for a healer.

He steadily pulled his pony to a stop, and carried Briar inside one of the apothecary tents. Almost instantly, a swarm of healers flooded into the tent and surrounded the ailing hobbit. Against his protests, Fili was ushered out of the tent. What followed was several hours of tense waiting. Fili felt as if time had slowed, to the point where every hour felt like a hundred years. When he felt about ready to tear his beard out, he saw Oin walk out of the tent, still cleaning his hands with a rag. "Oin!" He called out, rushing  up to the old dwarf. "Tell me, how is she?"

For a moment, Oin didn't answer, and Fili felt his stomach drop like a rock at the sight of his pitying gaze. "Oin." He said slowly, "What. Happened?" There was another moments pause before Oin said. "It's impossible to say right now, lad. The brutes hurt the wee lamb pretty bad, including reopening some of her old scars from the warg attack. I swear by Mahal we have done everything physically possible, but....I fear it may not be enough to save her."

"No..." Fili exclaimed hoarsely. "No. No, no, no! No, this can't happen! There has to be another way!"

"Lad," Oin said, "it will take nothing short of a miracle to help the wee lass now."

With a growl, Fili pushed past him and into the tent. He felt as if all the strength had gone out of him when he saw the state his bride-to-be was in. He stepped slowly toward her, his legs trembling furiously. After what seemed like an eternity, he collapsed beside her. She was so starved and so beat up that he hardly recognized her anymore. How long had she remained a hostage of the orcs?

A sob made his head snap up.

He hadn't even noticed Bilbo curled up in a fetal position on the opposite side of the bed. The two men locked gazes as a simple understanding was shared between the two of them. Slowly, Fili walked over to Bilbo's side of the bed, and after a brief pause, pulled the hobbit into a fierce embrace.    


	20. Chapter 20

Kili swallowed, fighting back tears at the sight.

Fili and Bilbo were crouched on one side of the sleeping hobbitess, Thorin on the other. Thorin had one of Briar's tiny hands clasped in his own. The dwarf king had his head bowed and was murmuring a prayer in Khuzdul. Seeing Briar in this state had been enough to snap him out of the Dragon Sickness that had overtaken him these past few weeks. Kili shook his head.

The thought of those beautiful golden eyes never opening again, never hearing that laugh again-

No, no, no!!

There had to be another way to save her, and Mahal be damned, he was going to find it!

It was then that an idea popped into his head.

Turning around, he sprinted away into the crowd, searching the sea of faces for that familiar red-haired figure. He finally found her, standing alongside Thranduil and Legolas. "Tauriel!" He called out, making all three elves turn as he skidded to a stop in front of them. "Tauriel, my lords, i've come to ask for your help." Thranduil looked at him as if he was suggesting walking into a burning fire pit. Legolas's expression was unreadable.

"Please," Kili pleaded, "Briar is at death's door. We have to find a way to save her. Elvish healing is unlike any other in the world. If anyone can save her, you can!"

Still no response came from the elven king or his son.

Turning all his attention to Tauriel, Kili pleaded. "Please, Tauriel, you saved me. You can save her too."

Tauriel got to one knee so she was at eye level with him. There was a long period of silence, before she grabbed a fistful of his jacket, pulled him close, and kissed him fiercely. She broke the kiss to murmur. "I will do all I can. I promise that much." She got to her feet, and jogged away to the apothecary tent. Kili looked back at the others. Legolas was staring after Tauriel as if the woman had grown a second head. Thranduil had the same scornful, snooty expression as always. But after a moment, both men took off to follow Tauriel.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorin stared down at the bandaged face of the tiny hobbit, trying-and failing-to hold back tears.

He, Fili and Bilbo had been talking to her as much as possible, hoping beyond hope that she heard them. Thorin swallowed, and began speaking in a low voice. "You saved my life once. Remember? On that cliff, outside the Goblin Realm? You and Bilbo threw yourselves onto the orc that was going to take off my head. You saved me....now we're returning the favor." He gently turned her face towards his. "Listen to me Briar." He said fiercly. "You cannot die like this. I won't let you! You are going to live, or Mahal damn me!"

Thorin looked up at the sound of the tent opening, and saw Kili and Tauriel standing in the entrance. One look between his nephew and the elf was all the explanation Thorin needed, and he nodded. Tauriel came into the tent, closely followed by Thranduil and Legolas. Thorin narrowed his eyes at the elven king, but said nothing as the three elves sorrounded the hobbit and set to work.

"Come." Thorin said to his nephews and Bilbo. "Let's leave them to their work."

Bilbo cast one last look at his daughter before he followed the dwarves out.

 

 

***

 

 

Fili stayed awake all through the night.

It had now been a week since he had found Briar in the cave.

He clutched the hand of his bride-to-be, watching the gentle rise and fall of her breath. Tears were streaming down his face. She had not moved or made a sound. Not the slightest little twitch or squeak. Many were now fearing that even the elves' magic wasn't strong enough to save her, that Erebor was now going to loose a princess. Bilbo hadn't even made it into the tent before he broke down into tears, so the rest of the company had escorted him away. It was as they were now coming back, that Fili began to speak. "Briar....I don't know if you can hear me...but if you can...please..." He stopped for a moment to wipe the tears away. "Please...come back to me, to us....none of us want to loose you like this....It would destroy Bilbo if you left us this way....and it would destroy me too....

"Briar Baggins, I love you....I love you more than i've ever loved anything in my entire life....you told me you felt the same once. Remember?.....what we have...surely the Valar can't have destined it to end this way....Remember the wedding we dreamed of? Remember how perfect it sounded? Let's make that dream a reality, together. Please, come back."

For a long while, there was no response from the tiny hobbitess.

Fili bowed his head, pressing his face into her sable curls.

Just when he felt ready to give up, her hand squeezed his.

It was subtle, but he felt it.

His head snapped up and he leaned in closer, listening and watching carefully. There was another moment of stillness before her head stirred slightly, and her eyes slowly fluttered open. Fili laughed out of sheer relief, and crushed his lips against hers, and the rest of the company cheered. Fili quickly pulled away, and Briar gave a weak smile. "Hi." She almost whispered.

"Hi." Fili replied, beaming from ear to ear. "How do you feel?" He had to lean in, and she whispered in his ear. "Very...sore." He chuckled. There was the sound of running feet as someone rushed out of the tent to spread the word that Briar was alive, but Fili didn't look to see who it was. He gently cupped her cheek and murmured. "I thought I was going to loose you."

"Awww." Briar teased. "You didn't honestly think you could get rid of me _that_ easily, did you?"

Fili chuckled, then made way as Bilbo pushed his way toward her.

"Pappa." Briar murmured, clasping her father's hand. Bilbo didn't say anything, just leaned forward to kiss his daughter in the forehead. There was the sound of footsteps, and everyone looked up as Tauriel entered the tent. The dwarves allowed her to come forward, and Briar clasped the she-elf's hand with her free one. The hobbit noticed Tauriel and Kili holding hands, and chuckled. "It looks like we're going to be sisters soon."

Tauriel chuckled in return.

"Well lass," Oin said, "from the state Fili found you in, it will be quite a while before you get back on your feet again, but now that you're still alive and kicking, I have every confidence we'll get there."

Briar smiled weakly, and opened her arms as wide as she could as Fili, Kili and Bilbo leaned in to hug her. "I thought I told you," She whispered teasingly in Fili's ear, "i'm not going anywhere. When are you going to believe me?"

The blonde dwarf couldn't keep from erupting into laughter.

 

 

***

 

 

 


End file.
